Eric Forth

Opposition MP have expressed alarm at Tony Blair's failure to appoint a replacement to Robin Cook.

As Ben Bradshaw fielded a second round of business questions, the shadow leader of the Commons attacked the empty seat at the Cabinet table.

"If one looks at the official duties of the leader of the House, not only is the leader of the House a member of the commission of the House of Commons, which in itself an important position which is vacant, perhaps even more important is that the leader has responsibility for the work of the Privy Council Office," Eric Forth said.

And he warned that other positions were also left vacant as a result of the failure to appoint a replacement.

"As leader of the House he is responsible for the arrangement of business in the Commons and for planning and supervising the government's legislative programme," Forth said.

"He has responsibility for reform of the House of Lords and perhaps, most crucially, the leader of the House upholds the rights and privileges of the House.

"The scandal here is that the prime minister with his usual contempt for the House of Commons is apparently content that there is no-one in place to uphold the rights and privileges of the House of Commons."

Liberal Democrat spokesman Andrew Stunnell urged Bradshaw to "convey the regret of the whole House" that Tony Blair had not seen fit to appoint a new minister to defend the rights of MPs around the Cabinet table.

Bradshaw responded that "there would be a new leader of the House when there is a reshuffle".

"The prime minister is conducting a war on behalf of this country and he has got other things on his mind at the moment," he said.

"To suggest that the machinery of government suddenly grinds to a halt because some people are not in the post they were is simply not the case."