The prime minister and William Hague clashed in the Commons over responsibility for the dome fiasco on Wednesday.

The ill-tempered exchange came late in prime minister's question time after the Tory leader asked Tony Blair to reveal the real cost of the dome. The question was aimed at highlighting the report by the National Audit Office into the Greenwich attraction. Blair replied that the figures had been set out many times before and that the total was £660 million.

Hague claimed that the government had "squandered" money and that the dome scandal had "happened because of his mismanagement and cronyism". Revealing that as Welsh secretary, William Hague had been part of the committee that had begun the project, Blair retaliated: "I will accept criticism from the members of the public but not from him." He later added that Hague "wants to deny the part he played in personally bringing about the dome".

He defended the project saying it had brought jobs and revitalised the Greenwich peninsular to a value of £1 billion. With reference to the attempted diamond theft at the Greenwich attraction he said that "the only difference between the robbers caught at the dome yesterday and Conservative ministers is that Conservatives are never caught at the scene of the crime".

Hague hit back saying "the only crime is that the government didn't drive a bulldozer into it two months ago." Referring again to tomorrow's report he asked "Will the dome minister take responsibility and resign?"