Blair's aides offer to give private evidence to MPs

The Prime Minister's most senior advisers, including Alastair Campbell, Jonathan Powell and Andrew Adonis, have offered to give evidence in private on the role of special advisers to an inquiry into standards.

Sir Richard Wilson, the head of the Civil Service, confirmed in a letter to an inquiry into the boundaries between civil servants and special advisers that Tony Blair's aides would submit to questioning on their roles and relationship with civil servants.

Sir Richard, who appeared yesterday before the Wicks Committee on Standards in Public Life, said it was "established" that staff at Downing Street did not appear in public to talk about themselves and their role.

The committee is expected to take up the offer to question Mr Campbell, Tony Blair's head of strategy and communications, Mr Powell, his chief of staff, Mr Adonis, head of the policy unit, and Michael Barber, head of the number 10 delivery unit.

Yesterday Charles Clarke, the Labour Party chairman, told the committee he believed there were too many special advisers employed by ministers but did not favour setting an artificial cap on their numbers.