Back to business as usual?

Analysis
By Nick Assinder
Political correspondent, BBC News website

As MPs started returning to Westminster after the long summer recess, "normal politics" resumed in full force.

Blair is focusing on the big issues of government

The prime minister was facing his first meeting with his backbench MPs since his farewell speech at the party conference two weeks ago, amid speculation the leadership issue was back on the agenda.

Former minister David Blunkett revealed extraordinary details of his fall from power over the fast-tracking of his nanny's visa two years ago - claiming that, at one point, he believed he was going mad.

That led to questions over whether the prime minister should have moved him at that time from his vital Home Office brief handling the nation's security.

Newspapers serialising Mr Blunkett's memoirs also claimed they would be revealing the "chaos" and rows in Tony Blair's war cabinet - risking re-opening old wounds over the war.

Mr Blunkett's memoirs may be trawling though past history, and may be dismissed as an attempt to put his side of the events which led to him twice being forced from office.

But, in writing them so soon after his fall, he is bound to give insights into the workings of government and the fear must be that future extracts might play into the notion of a divided and feuding government, particularly over the war on Iraq.

Froth of politics

Tony Blair's former spin chief Alastair Campbell was also accused of re-opening old wounds by claiming he, too, had suffered bouts of depression - in his case following the death of government scientist David Kelly - and comparing the time to his nervous breakdown 20 years ago when he worked on a national newspaper.

Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Labour-supporting Sun newspaper, weighed into the leadership row declaring Mr Blair was a "lame duck" and should quit sooner rather than later.

Blunkett has revealed trauma of his fall from power

And he went on to say if he had a cup of tea with either Mr Blair or Gordon Brown he had to meet the other "or they are very suspicious that you are lining up with the other one".

All this is probably not what the prime minister means when he talks about getting on with "business as usual". And he would undoubtedly dismiss much of it as the "froth" of politics.

Indeed, he was focusing on the crucial Northern Ireland talks set for later this week and described by his official spokesman as probably the last chance to forge a final settlement between the rival parties.

He was having to deal with the fallout from North Korea's flouting of international demands not to engage in the testing of nuclear weapons.

And the troubles facing British troops in both Iraq and, increasingly Afghanistan, continued to demand his attention.

The danger, of course, is that it will be the "froth" that causes him the most trouble at home as he attempts to prove he still has the authority to lead the government for another seven months or more.