Blair wins backing from Parliament

The government’s own motion, allowing for military action, was easily carried by 412 votes to 149, thanks to the support extended by opposition Conservative Party.

Blair smiled as the result was announced which enables him to claim a mandate for military action but the scale of the rebellion means his position as Prime Minister could be vulnerable if the war goes badly.

The nine-and-a-half-hour debate was both less passionate and less poisonous than that in February, perhaps because of the likelihood of military action.

Its sombre tone was summed up for both pro-andanti-war MPs by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who said the house’s decision would “stay with MPs for decades to come”.

In an impassioned and powerful speech, Blair made it clear that he would resign if he failed to carry the house with him.

Although some MPs were won over by Blair’s speech, two more ministers — Home Office Minister John Denham and Junior Health Minister Lord Hunt — and two ministerial aides, Bob Blizzard, MP, and Anne Campbell, MP, resigned in protest.

Robin Cook, leader of the house, had quit last night inprotest against the imminent war. Andrew Reed, parliamentary private secretary to Margaret Beckett, the Environment Secretary, quit last week on the same issue.

There were also three resignations from the Tory Shadow Cabinet — Shadow Environment Minister Jonathan Sayeed, Shadow Home Affairs Minister Humfrey Malins and Shadow Health Minister John Baron.

Some of the highlights of the debate were passionately anti-Bush speeches from labour’s Bob Marshall Andrews and John Mcdonnell and Tory whip John Randall.

Blair began the debate by facing his critics head on, admitting both his party and the tories were divided, that he had lost a cabinet colleague on a “point of Principle” and that the people were undecided.