The first meeting of the ‘Tony Smells Club’ in their new den is a resounding success

Former International Resignation Secretary Clare Short has today urged Tony Blair to step down “for the good of the BBC.”

Ms Short, who was a stalwart Government supporter, critic, fan, enemy, enthusiast, sinner, saint and procrastinator in the run up to the Iraq war is demanding Tony Blair relinquish the highest office and make way for someone saner. She cites the good of the party as her motive, on the grounds that Mr Blair has “turned into Margaret Thatcher. Or is it the other way around?”

Short’s call comes in the wake of the Commons vote on Foundation Hospitals, in which a backbench rebellion was narrowly defeated, and the ongoing row in Downing Street about the idea that an independent news corporation being able to run stories that criticise the government.

The Labour plans to give big hospitals powers to govern themselves as miniature health superstates was carried through only by their Scottish and Welsh MPs. “We didn’t want to lost any segments of our devolved nation to these invading hospitals,” explained Clare Timkins, Labour MP for Llabenoylno, “But it’s quite funny to keep on reclaiming bits of ‘England’ until ‘England’ comprises only a field in Surrey! Stick that in Edward I’s pipe and smoke it!”

Another chink in Blair’s armour is that, despite his nigh-fanatical faith in the wisdom of going to war, Mr Marvin X. Wilcox, MP for Market Pickton North commented that “I have to be re-elected in a couple of years. I don’t see how I can go to my constituents and say ‘Sorry we went to war, I was only following orders’. They'll kill me. Or not vote for me, which is worse!”

The WMD row has intensified after the Beeb found that Whitehall has finally caught on to what Passenger claimed all along about Iraq having none.

“I have absolutely no doubt at all that we will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction programmes,” said Tony Blair, speaking to a press conference, adding “Well, I say programmes. I’ve absolutely no doubt that they wanted to have weapons programmes. Actually, if you want something I really have absolutely no doubt of, it’s that I had absolutely no doubt that Iraq had WMD before we went to war.”

Donald Rumsfeld is being forced to make similar admissions, saying that there had in fact been no new intelligence about WMD in Iraq. “We’re just seeing it through the prism of 9/11, [sic]” he told journalists, “The red prism of revenge! Roar!”

It is reported that Blair is attempting to quell the backbenchers’ dissent by begging them to think of the next general election, promising them that unity behind him will lead to his getting a historic third term in office. “This,” he told the Party, “will prevent any further splits for sure. After that, nothing will be able to stop me. Prime Minister, European President, and then the World!!!!!!!”

“Unless Georgie doesn’t want me to...” he added, sheepishly.