Aznar leaps to defend his protector (just don't mention Gibraltar)

Rarely can Tony Blair and Jose Maria Aznar – each besieged by domestic enemies – have been more glad of their friendship than yesterday in Madrid.

Mr Blair's face was ashen, his eyes darting, his smile a rictus. Perhaps he still felt dizzy from his delayed arrival the night before: his plane developed a fault after leaving RAF Northolt to pick him up and had to land. A siren-wailing, motorcycle-led cavalcade jumped the lights to Heathrow to let Mr Blair (minus a disgruntled contingent left behind) catch a BA flight to Madrid.

Yesterday Mr Aznar seemed the more relaxed. He too smiled a lot, although few consider his smile reassuring. The Spanish leader was praised by the Prime Minister for his "courage and leadership in the last difficult months".

Mr Aznar glowed. They like each other. But Mr Aznar sensed that this time his protector needed protection. He leapt to the rescue when a British journalist followed up a question with an exasperated: "How many votes against will it take for you to change your mind?" Mr Aznar cut him off with a finger-wag. "No, no, no," he insisted. "Only one question.

"We must keep a sense of humour," he soothed, and developed his recent proposal that the US offer more Colin Powell and less Donald Rumsfeld. "All defence ministers whether American, British or Spanish, should speak less and foreign ministers speak more." He almost chuckled.

Mr Blair insisted he was acting in accord with his duty to the country. "Neither of us," he said, bonding with his friend, "takes this position for short-term popularity."

Did someone mention Gibraltar, a lesser conflict still unresolved?

"We're working on it," they mumbled, united even on this.