More Blunkett broadsides revealed

David Blunkett personally ordered Metropolitan Police chief Sir John Stevens to withdraw "tanks" from Heathrow following public alarm at the anti-terror move, it emerged today.

The extent of the Home Secretary's battle with Britain's top police officer over the al-Qaeda threat came amid fresh revelations of his scathing opinion of Cabinet colleagues.

A serialised biography of Mr Blunkett quotes him attacking Jack Straw for talking "garbage" about immigration and for opposing ID cards simply to distance himself from Tony Blair.

But although the new revelations threatened to further undermine support for the embattled minister, a new opinion poll showed most voters-felt he should keep his job even if he had helped speed up a visa for his ex-lover's nanny.

Extracts from a biography by Stephen Pollard reveal that Mr Blunkett "went through the roof" when he saw armoured vehicles stationed at Heathrow in February, 2003. The Met Commissioner's request to call in the Army in response to intelligence about an al Qaeda attack had been agreed at a Downing Street meeting chaired by the Prime Minister. But until one of his aides spotted TV footage, Mr Blunkett had no idea that armoured vehicles would be placed in full public view, triggering claims that the Government was trying to scare the public.

"They used their operational freedom to go over the top," said Mr Blunkett. But when he rang Sir John to complain, the police chief said that there was big difference between tanks and armoured vehicles. The Home Secretary said that to the rest of the world they looked the same and sent a message of "sheer terror". He summoned Sir John and his senior colleagues to his office. "They didn't know what we were talking about. It was male, macho, silly laddism. Boys' Own comic stuff. They couldn't help themselves."

When Sir John complained that no other Home Secretary had ever wanted control over operations, an angry Mr Blunkett told him: "If the impact is bad, you've got to stop it, not to say: 'Nothing to do with me, guv.'" Sir John then reluctantly agreed to withdraw the vehicles. Mr Blunkett already had a strained relationship with Sir John, says Pollard, considering him "weak".

Mr Blunkett pointed to Sir John's response when " comedy terrorist " Aaron Barschak made it past the police's supposedly watertight security into a Windsor Castle party. He was not impressed with the Met chief 's promise of a security reform and told his advisers: "That man needs to start feeling the pressure he is under."

A Populus/Times poll found that more than 54 per cent of voters felt the Home Secretary should keep his job even if he had helped the nanny.

An even greater percentage of voters said it didn't matter that he had had an affair with a married woman or given her free rail tickets. The survey found that 60 per cent of the public felt their view of Mr Blunkett had not been affected by the revelations.

The Home Secretary was yesterday forced to apologise to Cabinet colleagues over remarks he made about them in Mr Pollard's new book.

He suggested Mr Straw had opposed his ID cards plan to boost an alliance with fellow sceptic Gordon Brown. "You can take the view that he's wanted to distance himself a little from Tony and to address a domestic agenda item that would give him some kudos. You pays your money and you takes your choice," he said.