Blair warns future generations could be 'haunted' by Iraq

Prime Minister stands firm in face of party opposition to conflict

Tony Blair made his most impassioned plea for tough action against Iraq yesterday, warning that future generations would be "haunted" by a failure to disarm Saddam Hussein.

Mr Blair came out fighting against his Labour critics during Prime Minister's Questions and a private meeting of Labour MPs. But he received a rough reception from anti-war MPs and there was little sign he is winning over the large number of normally loyal MPs who are wavering on Iraq.

Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, refused to rule out resigning over Iraq in an interview in this week's New Statesman magazine. Asked if she would stay to argue her case if military action went ahead without new United Nations approval, she replied: "You can't say 'whatever happens' ... on all issues I expect to remain a member of the Government. I have to broadly agree with what the Government's doing."

Ms Short said she expected the Cabinet to "stand together" on Iraq, but hinted that Mr Blair should shrug off his label as President Bush's poodle. She said: "The country would be more comfortable and there would be less cartoons if we could speak up more clearly."

In the Commons, the Tory leader, Iain Duncan Smith, tackled Mr Blair over Ms Short's previous demands for a second UN resolution. Mr Duncan Smith asked Mr Blair: "Don't you understand that you and your Cabinet must be clear and united in order to send a right message to Saddam Hussein, to British troops and to the British people?"

The Prime Minister told the Commons: "This issue of weapons of mass destruction is a real threat to the world. I believe it is only a matter of time before it is linked with international terrorism.

He added: "This is a difficult time. I understand the concerns people have. But sometimes the job of the Prime Minister is to say the things people don't want them to say but we believe are necessary to say because the threat is real and if we don't deal with it then the consequences of our weakness will haunt future generations".

Mr Blair suggested that America might take unilateral action if the UN failed to back tough action, saying: "The single most dangerous thing we could do at the moment, which in my view would increase the likelihood of conflict, is if we send out a signal of any weakness in our determination to see the mandate laid down by the UN carried through."

The Prime Minister appeared to be more optimistic on winning a second UN resolution on the issue, a move that could yet unite the bulk of the Labour Party.

But Mr Blair was heckled by some anti-war MPs when he dismissed as "conspiracy theories" a claim by the veteran left-winger Dennis Skinner that the conflict was looming because Washington wanted Iraq's oil reserves.

The Prime Minister also faced tough questions over Iraq at his hour-long meeting with Labour backbenchers. But his allies claimed that a majority of MPs rallied behind Mr Blair.

The White House announced last night that Mr Blair would hold summit talks with Mr Bush at the President's Camp David retreat on 31 January, four days after Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, gives his initial report to the UN. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, will meet Colin Powell, the American Secretary of State, for talks a week from today.

As 750 Royal Marines set sail to join the forces ready for a possible war in the Gulf, the Anglican House of Bishops issued a statement critical of Mr Blair's hardline stance.

It said: "We do not believe that the evidence presented to date suggests a clear link exists between Iraq and al-Qa'ida or that Iraq poses an immediate threat to international security. Without compelling new evidence to the contrary, we contend that military action could not be morally justified."