BROWN IS NOT TO BLAME SAYS BLAIR.

Byline: By JAMES LYONS 

DEFIANT Tony Blair made a dramatic return to Westminster yesterday by warning Labour MPs not to blame Gordon Brown for their woes.

Mr Brown's troops are demoralised by the Tories' massive poll lead and their party's thumping defeat in the Crewe by-election.

But Mr Blair told them it is not the Prime Minister's fault they are facing tough times and offered Mr Brown his full backing.

He told them: "I said when I left I was going to be 100 per cent supportive of Gordon and the Government and I continue to be, totally because I know it's a difficult job."

In his first TV interview since quitting Downing Street almost a year ago, Mr Blair said the credit crunch and oil crisis were causing huge problems for all politicians in power. He told GMTV: "It's tough for all leaders at the moment right around the Western world because they've got things that are happening that, to be fair, to them is not really their individual fault.

"The financial crisis or fuel prices are things that are being driven by world events. So it is tough at the moment but I continue to give them my full support."

The ex-PM rejected Tory claims that Mr Brown caused many of the current financial problems when he was in charge of the Treasury.

He pointed out that the credit crunch started in the US and hailed Mr Brown as "probably the most successful finance minister in the world for a decade - which is not a bad record".

Mr Blair added David Cameron had the easier job.

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SUPPORT Tony Blair yesterday