British mount a renewed push for resolution support

BRITISH ministers were last night mounting a renewed diplomatic push to win backing for a fresh United Nations resolution on Iraq after being rocked by the biggest backbench revolt of modern times.

Downing Street insisted Tony Blair would not be deflected from his strategy of confronting Saddam Hussein despite Wednesday night's vote by 121 rebel Labour MPs plus one teller saying that the case for war was "as yet unproven".

However, the scale of the revolt increased the need for the prime minister to gain a fresh UN mandate for military action if he is not to find himself dangerously dependent on the support of the Tories in the event of war.

One rebel, ex-health secretary Frank Dobson, warned ministers that they could face an even bigger revolt if they joined a US-led attack on Iraq without the UN sanction.

"I would think that a substantial majority of the Parliamentary Labour Party has the same doubts and concerns as those of us who voted for the amendment last night," he said. "A substantial proportion of those, if there weren't to be a very clear, explicit authority for military action from the Security Council, would not support the Government's position."

Mr Blair was last night travelling to Madrid to discuss tactics with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Britain and America's one confirmed ally on the 15-member Security Council.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was said to have been engaged in an intensive round of "telephone diplomacy", contacting council members in an attempt to win their backing.

He will hold talks in London next week with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who has so far been backing Franco-German proposals to give the UN weapons inspectors until July to carry on their work.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office minister Baroness Amos returns todayOK from a three-day tour of the three African states on the council Guinea, Cameroon and Angola having attempted to canvass their support for a resolution.

British officials acknowledged, however, that they could struggle to gain the nine votes they need for the Anglo-US draft resolution.