Blair to face inquisition from Labour MPs on public services

Tony Blair will face sustained questioning on his "presidential style" of Government when he makes a historic break with precedent to give evidence to senior backbenchers next week.

An intense interrogation on key public services – including transport, health and education – from some of Labour's sternest internal critics will follow the half-hour of questions on Mr Blair's dramatic expansion of the power of Number 10.

Gwyneth Dunwoody, the Transport committee chairman, David Hinchliffe, the Health chairman, and Tony Wright, the Public Administration chairman, are among the outspoken Labour backbenchers who will lead the questioning during the two-and-a-half-hour meeting on Tuesday.

Dr Ian Gibson, whose Science committee published a damning report on science education this week, will question Mr Blair on education policy with the Education committee chairman, Barry Sheerman.

Mr Blair will also face 30 minutes of questions on foreign policy and a session on the standards of political life.

The detailed questions which Mr Blair will face are being kept a closely guarded secret, but the meeting promises fireworks. Some chairmen believe political correspondents failed to make real headway during Mr Blair's televised press conference last month and want Tuesday's meeting to establish their reputation as grand inquisitors determined to hold the Prime Minister to account.

One said: "Vultures do not usually hunt in packs, but on Tuesday there will be more than 30 of them."

Dr Wright, chairman of the Public Administration Select Committee, will lead questioning on Mr Blair's style of Government, with Sir George Young, chairman of the Standards and Privileges committee.

Dr Wright, a former academic educated at the London School of Economics, Harvard and Oxford, who resigned as PPS to Lord Irvine to speak out as a backbencher, has built up a formidable reputation at Westminster for his forensic questioning of ministers and senior civil servants.