Blair: on the backfoot

As the row over Tony Blair's involvement in the Queen Mother's funeral rumbles on, Downing Street has insisted that it has not sought to undermine the House of Lords official at the centre of the dispute.

Speaking on Monday, Number 10 said it had no view about whether Black Rod should publish the so called "killer memo" and dismissed claims that it had attempted to smear him.

Asked if Sir Michael Willcocks should publish his account of the events leading up to the lying-in-state, a Number 10 spokesman said: "It is entirely a matter for Black Rod and I think if we were to indicate an opinion it would be interpreted as us telling Black Rod what to do.

"We have very carefully expressed no opinion about what Black Rod may or may not have done."

Number 10 also rejected claims that it had seen a copy of Black Rod's evidence to the Press Complaints Commission.

Statement call

But the Tories have stepped up demands for a Commons statement from Blair over claims that he sought to "muscle-in" on the Queen Mother's funeral arrangements.

David Davis, the Conservative Party chairman, demanded the publication of Sir Michael's memo - which is said to challenge Number 10's version of events .

As the row continued, the opposition accused the prime minister of bringing his office into disrepute.

But the Northern Ireland secretary, Dr John Reid, dismissed calls for a Commons statement.

"The idea that on the basis of no allegation now that he intervened in any way, with no evidence to that effect, that he should go to parliament is to get the priorities of the people and parliament wrong," he told the BBC's On the Record.

Funeral claims

The latest exchange of views came as Downing Street failed to calm the row over the prime minister's role in the lying-in-state.

The row was revived after it was claimed that Number 10 staff had "inundated" Black Rod's office with calls pressing the case for the prime minister to be given a more high profile role.

Accounts published in Sunday newspapers suggested that Blair aides had asked "What's the PM's role?'' in the lying-in-state. One is said to have asked "Won't the PM be meeting the coffin?'' and said "surely the PM greets the Queen?".

The Mail on Sunday alleged that a memo sent by Black Rod to the Press Complaints Commission claimed that Blair's aides repeatedly called his office about the arrangements for the gathering in Westminster Hall.

It suggested that Sir Michael was put under "sustained and constant pressure" to change the arrangements by Downing Street.

Number 10, which on Friday published a 30 page dossier in an attempt to draw a line under the affair, dismissed the latest round of claims.

"This changes absolutely nothing," said a spokesman on Sunday. "It is a colourful, partial and tendentious account by a newspaper trying to prove a story it knows to be wrong."

Campbell under pressure

The latest spat has called into question the long-term future of Tony Blair's PR chief, Alastair Campbell, who complained to the Press Complaints Commission over reports concerning the affair.

Black Rod is thought to have told senior peers that Campbell has been briefing against him - a claim dismissed as an "unfounded allegation" by Downing Street.

Kelvin McKenzie, the former editor of the Sun newspaper, said the affair raised serious questions about Campbell's future.

"This marks the end of Alistair Campbell's certainty and career in the centre. Signing that letter to the PCC was the beginning of the end and I think he will go sometime this year. What you are going to see now is more and more battles like this and there will be a Byers-type effect," he said.

"I suspect and believe a misjudgement by Campbell is heading him towards the exit door."

Former minister Tony Banks said the media was intent on settling old scores with Campbell.

"I think this is a media obsession, and there's a lot of scores being settled. But the government's got to realise that of course an image is getting put about that they're more interested in spin than substance, and they've got to do something about that," he told Sunday with Adam Boulton.