Rebels to give Blair reprieve

Tony Blair is set to be granted a stay of execution by rebel Labour MPs unwilling to deliver a mortal wound to the Prime Minister over university top-up fees this month.

Downing Street believes the decision to publish Lord Hutton's report into the death of scientist David Kelly the day after the crucial Commons vote on fees will see the revolt scaled down.

Labour MPs are unlikely to oppose Mr Blair in large enough numbers to defeat him when they know his premiership could be in peril only 24 hours later.

The tuition fees vote will be held on 27 January and Lord Hutton's report will be published on 28 January.

But Mr Blair's advisers accept that he will not be out of the woods completely over tuition fees and that rebels will muster again at a later stage in the parliamentary process of the Higher Education Bill.

This could mean that a devastating defeat for Mr Blair's education reform could merely be postponed for some weeks or months - assuming he survives the Hutton Report.

Writing on this page, rebel leader Nick Brown denies claims that backbenchers are opposing Mr Blair on top-up fees because they hold grudges.

He said: "I support the leadershipof the Labour Party, except on this single issue."

Even before the official announcement that Lord Hutton's report would be brought out a day after the fees vote, Mr Blair appeared confident that the arithmetic was movinghis way. He claimed some backbenchers who had signed up to a key Commons motion opposing plans to allow universities to charge variable fees of £3,000 a year were now "looking for a way out".

Local government minister Nick Raynsford wrote to the unnamed councils this week telling them he would have "no option" but to use his capping-powers "if councils persist-with unreasonably large increases".

Last year an average rise of 13 per cent sparked protests from voters.