Blair's medium-to-light grilling

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By Nick Assinder
Political Correspondent, BBC News website

Liaison committee chairman Alan Williams went to the heart of it during Tony Blair's sixth appearance before this group of senior MPs.

Mr Blair faces his inquisitors

Had these sessions added anything meaningful to parliamentary democracy or had they just been showpieces?

It was one of the few occasions during this long, medium-to-light grilling that the prime minister appeared taken aback.

But not for long. He found the sessions "extremely tough" he conceded after a brief pause.

However, unlike the weekly prime minister's question time sessions, they allowed less confrontational and lengthier discussion of the issues, he added.

And few in Westminster doubt that it is better to have the prime minister of the day questioned in an open, televised session than not.

Up to it

Whether or not the performances succeed in really holding the prime minister to account is another matter, and that hangs on a couple of factors.

First, whether the questioning is rigorous, challenging and as free of party point scoring or creeping, as possible.

Secondly, whether the prime minister is up to it.

After half a dozen of these appearances it is probably fair to say the prime minister is up to it.

Yes, he knows the areas the MPs are going to challenge him on - in this case Iraq and the aftermath of the war, the economy and the G8 summit.

But, as with all the best quiz or question time shows, he has not seen the questions.

Top rate

So there is always the chance that he will be caught out by the left-field question or the MP who is better briefed than he is.

Less confrontational that Howard clash?

It has yet to happen. There have been the occasional questions that have put him onto the back foot - for example when he was asked about former adviser Peter Hyman's support for an increase in the top rate of tax.

The prime minister either knew nothing about the statement or feigned to know nothing about it, but went on to rule out any such tax hike - something he has so far avoided doing in his confrontations with Michael Howard.

"Did he now? Just give me five minutes. I'll go and sort him out," he declared.

There have also been downright bloody rows between the prime minister and his questioners, particularly in the past over the war on Iraq.

But there was none of that today. What there was - and perhaps this is more fruitful - were some fairly detailed questions about government policy.

That may be less exciting than the blazing rows, but it may go at least some way to reassuring Mr Williams.