Point-by-point: Question time

All the main points from prime minister's questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday 7 December from 1200 GMT.

New Conservative leader David Cameron, in his first prime minister's question time, said: "The first issue that the Prime Minister and I will have to work together on is getting the good bits of his education reforms through the House of Commons and into law".

Mr Cameron, who accused Labour chief whip Hilary Armstrong of "shouting like a child", agreed to back Mr Blair's plans to give more freedom to schools in the government's education white paper. With the Conservatives backing the plans he said the prime minister "can afford to be as bold as he wants to be. That's when he is at his best, or so I am told".

Mr Cameron said: "I want schools to control their own admissions. That's what's in the White Paper and let's see it turns into the Bill. It's only our first exchange and already you are asking me the questions.

"This approach is stuck in the past and I want to talk about the future. You were the future once," he told Mr Blair, to roars of support from the Tory backbenches. Education is one of the public services in desperate need of reform.

"Our aim should be to make sure all schools have these freedoms. Will you ensure that this is one reform where you won't look back and wish you had gone further?"

Mr Blair said: "It's important all schools get these freedoms. "However, it's obvious that we disagree on the issue of admissions. I think if schools are free to bring back selection at the age of 11 that would be regressive for our country. "So I'm afraid in this grand new consensus we have to disagree on that point.

"The other important point is this. We've got to keep the investment going in our schools. The Conservative party voted against that investment. But as a result of the investment and the changes ... we've now got the best ever results at 11, 16 and 18 in our schools.

"It's not merely in respect of education policy we've got to agree. We've also got to agree the investment that's so necessary to back up that reform continues. I'm afraid your economic policy ... is to cut back investment."

Amid Tory protests, Mr Blair added: "I'm happy if this is another policy you are about to change. But you are saying this year you wouldn't have put all the investment in, but rather have shared that investment, half and half between tax cuts and investment. That would mean substantial cuts in public investment.

"I'm very happy to have this new consensus with you and I'm delighted today you've said the Conservative party will vote for these education reforms. But it has to be on the basis, I'm afraid, of agreeing the investment also."

Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy asked to what extent the UK had co-operated with the US policy of "extraordinary rendition" , which he said involved flying foreign terror suspects to Afghanistan and elsewhere, via British airports, where he alleged they are tortured.

Mr Blair backed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's assertion that the US did not condone torture of suspects.

He said some of the individuals had to be detained for international terrorism reasons. He said some of them were dangerous while others had vital information that could help defeat terrorists.

Mr Blair said it was vital to distinguish between taking a suspect from one country to another and torture. He said torture could never be justified and insisted the US policy of rendition had been clear for many years.

Mr Blair said Britain's EU rebate would go up but it must pay its fair share to help the new member states. He said his position was "right and principled".

Mr Cameron asked Mr Blair if he was still committed to "proper successor" to the Kyoto climate change treaty.

Mr Blair said he was but it would not work without the involvement of the US, India and China and he hoped the Tories would support him on this.

Mr Cameron asked if Mr Blair still "genuinely agrees" with binding climate change targets.

Mr Blair insisted he did, adding: "I am pointing my finger. I wouldn't want that to break up the new consensus".

He said it was no use Mr Cameron backing a new treaty unless he also supported Labour's climate change levy.

Asked by the SNP's Alex Salmon if there were "any remaining differences of principle" between Mr Blair and the new Tory leader, the prime minister listed, to cheers from MPs, the New Deal for the unemployed, investment in public services and commitment to the European social chapter.

In response to a question from Labour's Chris Mullin, Mr Blair said there was "an interesting debate" going on about extending the proposed partial ban on smoking in public places, but Labour would stick to its manifesto pledge.