Blair: We'll be in the front line whatever happens

Tony Blair warned yesterday it was "inevitable" that al-Qa'ida would seek to mount an attack in Britain.

During two and a half hours of questioning by 33 senior MPs, the Prime Minister said there were "no limits" to the potential threat but insisted that Britain would not escape being a target by keeping out of the war on terror or military action in Iraq. "We are going to be in the front line of this whatever happens," he said.

He told the House of Commons Liaison Committee that Britain could spend billions of pounds on protective measures without being able to thwart a terrorist attack.

Mr Blair said: "I think it's inevitable that they [al-Qa'ida] will try in some form or other, and I think we can see evidence from the recent arrests that the terrorist network is here, as it is around the rest of the world.

"That is why I think there is no point in us thinking – and I don't think it is actually particularly in the British character to think – well, let's go to the back of the queue and hide away," he said.

IRAQ AND AL-QA'IDA

Mr Blair said he was deeply concerned at the prospect of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists but admitted no evidence had been found of a link between al-Qa'ida and Iraq.

"There is none that I know of that directly links al-Qa'ida, Iraq, terrorist activity in the UK. But there is some intelligence evidence about linkages between members of al-Qa'ida and people in Iraq. It doesn't go further than that.

"I'm not using it as a justification for anything we are doing. But it wouldn't be correct to say there is no evidence whatever of linkages between al-Qa'ida and Iraq ... I know of nothing linking Iraq to the September 11 attack and I know of nothing either that directly links al-Qa'ida and Iraq to recent events in the UK."

EXILE FOR SADDAM?

Mr Blair said he would not "instinctively oppose" Saddam Hussein being allowed to go into exile in another country. But he added: "There needs to be a whole series of issues that would be looked at in connection with it. You also need to be sure, frankly, that whatever happens afterwards, the issue of weapons of mass destruction is properly dealt with. But I don't think there is any doubt at all that if Saddam were to leave there would be general rejoicing everywhere, not least among the Iraqi people."

UN ROLE IN IRAQ

The Prime Minister said it was "highly desirable" for the UN Security Council to pass a second resolution before military action was launched. But he added: "Of course it's better if we can go down the UN route but we mustn't give a signal to Saddam that there's a way out of this. There's no other way out for Saddam, out of this issue, other than disarming of weapons of mass destruction."

SUPPORT FOR WAR

Mr Blair said he understood the need for public support for military action against Iraq. He told MPs: "It's my job to explain to people why it's necessary. It's also the case that we are not in conflict yet, so we haven't reached the circumstances where I say to the British people we are in conflict with Iraq. When and if that time came, people would find the reasons acceptable and satisfactory because there is no other route available to us."

US-UK RELATIONSHIP

The Prime Minister said the transatlantic relationship had served America and the world well through the 20th century.

"America, for all its faults, is a force for good in the world," he said. "If you take the big picture items between America and Europe, we basically stand for the same values. If Europe and America split off, every other country in the world can play games with that."

'SON OF STAR WARS'

Mr Blair defended possible British co-operation with the US missile defence system, called "son of Star Wars". "I think it's important that if we do play a part in missile defence that this country gets some benefit from it."

MIDDLE EAST

Mr Blair accepted that the West might be accused of "double standards" by responding vigorously to Iraqi breaches of UN resolutions while not taking action over Israeli breaches. But he said the Iraq crisis was a separate issue, to be dealt with "in its own terms".

THREATS TO THE WEST

Mr Blair told MPs that the end of the Cold War had let to new threats of "instability and chaos and disorder either from terrorist groups or from what you might call rogue or unstable states". He said: "I see two parts to dealing with this. One is that we try to get a consensus internationally based on certain key values ... and that consensus has got to deal not just with the security issues but also with issues like the Middle East peace process, global poverty and development.

"The second thing we have to do is really hit these security and WMD threats hard, not just by security and military means, you also hit them hard by attacking the breeding ground in which these ideas develop. A sensible agenda for the international community is to say, yes, you deal with weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, but you don't stop there. You broaden it to take in these other issues to give people a sense that the world is together around orderly progress and a sense of justice."

¿ Details of votes in which Labour backbenchers defied the Government have been sent to their local parties before meetings held to decide whether to reselect them for the next general election. Labour rebels said they would not be silenced despite the letters from Hilary Armstrong, the Chief Whip, highlighting votes against a three-line whip.