George Bush made a televised address last night telling Saddam Hussein he has 48 hours to leave Iraq.

Earlier, the president had spoken to Tony Blair and agreed that the diplomatic process had come to an end.

His hopes of securing a second resolution in tatters, the prime minister faces a vote in the House of Commons today which may see over 150 Labour MPs rebelling against the government's stance.

The Labour rebels will be joined by Robin Cook, who resigned as leader of the House of Commons yesterday in protest against the impending conflict.

The former leader of the House has toured the television and radio studios today to claim that war is not justified. While his resignation statement last night was met with a standing ovation from Labour rebels and Liberal Democrat MPs, his former cabinet colleagues sat stony faced on the front bench.

Lord Hunt has added to the government's woes today by becoming the latest minister to resign over the issue.

But a poll in today's Guardian provides a welcome boost to the prime minister.

The ICM survey suggests that there has been an eight and a half point swing towards support for war in the past month. Disapproval has dropped eight points to 44 per cent and support has risen by nine points to 38 per cent.

In an article in today's Guardian, Bill Clinton calls on the Labour Party to trust Tony Blair.

The former American president writes: "Blair will have to do what he believes to be right. I trust him to do that and hope the British people will too."