"Parlez-vous Franglais, Prime Minister?"

There is one sure way to make yourself look silly in a foreign country - and that is to speak the language badly.

Several British Prime Ministers have succeeded in ridiculing themselves in front of the French, but in choosing to address the French Parliament in French, Mr Blair has attempted to conquer the problem.

All eyes were on the Prime Minister as he flexed his linguistic muscles in the 45 minute speech. It is the first time a British Politician has ever addressed the French National Assembly.

Churchill, Heath and Thatcher are among a handful of British leaders to have had a go at speaking French. Instead of impressing their audiences they ended up sounding hopelessly English and becoming figures of fun.

You can hear their attempts by clicking here.

Mr Blair's pronunciation was well received

When it comes to politics, interpreters are a good way around the problem, only a gutsy few will take the plunge and actually tackle a different language.

Mr Blair is considered good at French. He worked in a bar in Paris for six months after graduating from university. He also takes his family regularly to France on holiday.

However, the blunders of former Prime Ministers forced the image-conscious leader to practise his French with a native speaker in the weeks running up to the big speech.