Tony Blair criticises Alex Salmond for alarming the public

During Prime Minister's Questions, SNP leader Alex Salmond asked Tony Blair to tell the House where the "lost" uranium was, and to "guarantee to take no more nuclear materials into this plant in its present condition."

Mr Blair responded by saying that Mr Salmond's allegations were based on a misinterpretation of 30-year-old records which were far from complete:

"There is absolutely no evidence whatever to back up the suggestion he keeps making, for wholely irresponsible reasons, that any material has been stolen or fallen into foreign government hands_ To alarm the public in this way is both irresponsible, extreme, and I may say, entirely typical."

Focus on health

Tony Blair tells Cheryl Gillan MP his government will turn Health Service waiting lists around

The exchange was one of the few which did not focus on the government's record on hospital waiting lists.

Those questions were rebutted by Mr Blair, who drew attention to the previous government's record on the same issue.

"It's not just that class sizes and hospital waiting lists went up under the last government, crime doubled under the last Tory government as well," he said.

Opposition leader William Hague accused the government of being "all talk and no action,":

"It's talk about NHS waiting lists, and the waiting lists go up. It's talk about class sizes and the class sizes go up. It's talk about cleaning up local government in Scotland and the dirt grows every day. It's talk, talk, talk and nothing to show for it. When is he going to stop talking about these problems and start acting on these problems?"

But Mr Blair said that if Mr Hague wanted to throw down a gauntlet, then he would be happy to accept the challenge:

"If he wants to make the test at the next election whether we have met those pledges on NHS waiting lists and class sizes - then let him do it. Because when he does we will pass those tests and nobody in this country will ever believe the Tories will do a good job on schools and hospitals."

"Something of the right"

Facing a Tory question asking who he blamed for the failure of the UK's EU presidency, Mr Blair said he would brook no criticism from Conservatives on the issue:

"I don't expect to be criticised by members of the Opposition front bench on Europe. Especially when the party opposite, and there is something of the right about it, is split from head to toe on the issue."

Paddy Ashdown called for strong preventative action

Prepared for action on Kosovo

The Liberal Democrat leader, Paddy Ashdown, asked for the prime minister's assurance that he would back "strong preventative action, rather than too little too late", in the Serbian region of Kosovo.

Mr Blair hinted that the government would be prepared to act. He said that ministers had already commissioned military advice in support for monitoring activity and preventative deployments. "We will be "watching extremely carefully," he said.

Tony Blair tells Paddy Ashdown he would not allow a situation similar to Bosnia to develop in Kosovo

"We do not believe that we could afford to have a situation of disorder spreading in that part of the world. I hope that is a sufficiently clear message to (Serbian President) Milosevic."

He said the international community had acted before with "great firmness" in Bosnia and added: "We must make sure that we do the same again."

Tories cheer Labour backbencher

A Labour MP challenged Mr Blair during Question Time to put a halt to "fawning and obsequious" questions from other backbenchers.

Tories were delighted when Thurrock MP Andrew Mackinlay reminded the Prime Minister how, when Labour was in Opposition, they used to groan at obsequious and "planted" questions to their leader.

"Will you distinguish your period of office by discouraging such a practice taking place during this Parliament and diminishing from your question time?" he asked Mr Blair.

Conservative MPs cheered as Mr Mackinlay spoke out. But they jeered as Mr Blair replied rather cryptically: "I fully respect your independence of mind and I shall do my very best to make sure you retain it!"