Tony Blair has apologised to students hit by the A-level results fiasco.

Speaking on Thursday, the prime minister expressed regret at at the on-going crisis.

"I'm sorry this situation has ever arisen. We feel extremely sorry for the students that have been affected by this and that's way we're committed to sorting this out," he said.

"But I think you should also be aware that the vast majority of people within the education system actually support the new exams, the way it's happening and the way it's been done."

His comments came as it emerged that tens of thousands of students are now being forced to wait as their A-level papers are regraded.

Amid claims that the university system could face chaos, the prime minister sought to distance the government from the fiasco.

He said it was important to wait for the independent report by Mike Tomlinson.

"The best way to deal with this is to have an independent person look at this and that's what we're doing," he said.

Blair refused to go into detail, arguing that no-one was as yet certain about the full extent of the numbers of students involved.

"There's no point in speculating about that. The original allegation was that the government had interfered. We hadn't interfered," he said.

He stressed that the problem was largely focused on one exam board.

"In terms of the actual units it's only about eight per cent so some of the numbers that are being bandied about have been exaggerated," Blair said.

And he defended his government's record - saying the best primary, GCSE and A-level results were now being achieved.