The former prime minister, John Major, has mounted a strong attack on Tony Blair saying he has damaged parliament and undermined cabinet government.

Saying that he fears for the future of parliament, Major said the prime minister has continued to treat the Commons with contempt.

Major, who is standing down as the MP for Huntingdon at the next election, has also said he will speak out on issues he has earlier remained silent about.

Speaking about Blair's decision to cut the number of sessions of prime minister's questions, Major says: "The prime minister telephoned me in Huntingdon before parliament met to tell me - as leader of the opposition - that he proposed to answer prime minister's questions only once a week for 30 minutes instead of continuing with the more onerous burden of doing so twice a week for 15 minutes.

"The truly breathtaking aspect of our brief and courteous exchange struck me forcibly: it did not even occur to the prime minister that governments (even with large majorities) are temporary - and that he should have consulted parliament as a whole before taking such a decision."

The shift from two to one session of PMQs has damaged parliament, Major claims. "The Commons now resembles the Marie Celeste on Thursdays and Fridays. He [Tony Blair] has instigated a near three-day week without a miners' strike, as MPs return to their constituencies. Indeed, why should they stay? Their votes make no difference. They can influence nothing in parliament, but can contribute something worthwhile in their constituencies.

"This was a high-handed and dismissive way to treat the Commons and, sadly, has not proved an isolated incident. Policy is too often announced outside parliament for the convenience of ministers. In parliament, legislation is rushed, ill-drafted and poorly considered. Even with the government's substantial majority, the Parliament Act - the ultimate weapon to impose government diktat - has been brought into play".

Major also uses his article, published in the current edition of The House Magazine, to criticise Blair's handling of cabinet government. "From all one hears, this disregard of parliamentary opinion extends also to cabinet opinion, since meetings of that august body are conducted in haste and rarely discuss substantive issues," he says.

The former Tory leader defended his style of cabinet government - rejecting claims that his style was too consensus-based. "I tried to revive the essence of genuine cabinet government in the early 1990s only to be told by those who pronounce on such things that this was not strong leadership: strong leaders apparently make up their minds before any debate, and do not draw on collective wisdom. I disagree. My approach - listening, considering, cajoling and then deciding - although possibly old-fashioned, was more in the tradition of democratic government than the imposition of views pre-determined in discussion with advisers rather than with elected colleagues in cabinet."

Major has also said that he will break his silence on current issues. Having earlier said he would not criticise or comment on Tory policy in public he writes: "I now intend to return to private life and savour the many interests that my all-demanding involvement in politics has pushed aside for so long. For me, there is cricket to watch, sports to enjoy, music to hear, entertainment to see, books to read and a family to cherish.

"I intend to take up offers of more business interests, to involve myself in sport and charities, to write, to travel, and - I make no apology for this - intend to enjoy myself. I shall also feel free of any inhibition to comment on politics and public affairs past and present: a freedom which, for me, will prove a liberating experience."