Blair: Funeral allegations 'offensive'

Tony Blair today hit back strongly in the row over the Queen Mother's lying-in-state by saying it was "offensive" to claim he had tried to hijack the ceremony.

As the Prime Minister went on the attack for the first time in the affair, Downing Street issued a detailed dossier which it claimed backed up its own hotly disputed version of events.

The 29-page dossier included statements from key aides at No10 all insisting nothing had been done to try to win the Prime Minister a bigger role during April's lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.

It also included letters from No10 communications chief Alastair Campbell to the Press Complaints Commission and a "chronology" of contacts between Downing Street and Black Rod, the senior House of Commons official in charge of the ceremony.

The timing of the publication of the dossier was thought to be an attempt by Downing Street at a pre-emptive strike - with full details of Black Rod's side of the arguments expected to emerge at the weekend.

In his first public comments on the affair, Mr Blair, in Jersey for a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, said: "The allegation that I tried to muscle in or hijack the Queen Mother's funeral is as offensive as it is completely and totally untrue."

In a statement issued by Downing Street, Mr Blair said he wanted to "set the record straight" when "false and serious allegations" continued to be made.

However, Downing Street's version of events, while detailed, still left a number of unanswered questions about the affair.

Chief among them was how such a misinterpretation of a telephone call between No10 aide Clare Sumner and Black Rod, Sir Michael Willcocks, could have spiralled into what Mr Blair personally admitted had become an "unseemly public row". The key points in the No 10 dossier included:

? Clare Sumner's call to Black Rod, by mobile phone on the morning after the Queen Mother's death, in which she said an official set of government guidelines inherited by Labour in 1997 suggested a bigger role for the Prime Minister and Opposition leader than what eventually occurred.

Sir Michael was said to have said an earlier set of rules, with a lower profile for the party leaders, should apply. Ms Sumner was said to have agreed.

? A memo, following the phone call, from Ms Sumner to Mr Blair, outlining his duties in Westminster Hall, along the lines suggested by Black Rod.

? Details of further calls between staff at No10 and Black Rod, on relatively minor matters and not concerning directly the Prime Minister's role.

? Details of contacts between a detective on Mr Blair's security team as the procession was due to arrive at Westminster Hall, floating the idea that Mr Blair might walk to the Palace of Westminster from Downing Street.

? Correspondence between Mr Campbell and the Press Complaints Commission after he had taken the controversial decision to refer the matter to the press watchdog in the wake of claims levelled by three publications, the Evening Standard, the Mail on Sunday and the Spectator.

? A copy of the 1994 guidelines on the role of the senior politicians at the lying-in-state, inherited by Labour but different from the plan ordered to be followed by Black Rod.

Today Peter Oborne, the political commentator who made the original allegations, described senior figures at Downing Street as being close to a "demented" state about the affair.

He told Radio 4: "They're in a dreadful muddle about this and they're digging themselves into a deeper and deeper hole. It's rather sad."

The dossier was published as Labour MPs demanded the resignation of Mr Campbell - the Premier's closest aide. They spoke out amid growing pressure on Mr Blair with new claims, disputed by Downing Street, that Buckingham Palace intervened to stop him from grabbing the limelight at the lying-in-state.

Tam Dalyell said: "While Alastair remains, every government attempt to turn its back on spin will be portrayed as spin."

Tony Blair's statement in full
Should Alastair Campbell resign?