TONY Blair has emerged unscathed from what promised to be one of the toughest weeks of his six-year Premiership. If anything, he finds himself in a stronger position than seven days ago on account of an American, scores of Scots, eight Labour cowards and, tragically, the terrorist bloodbath in Turkey.

Privately, Downing Street had been dreading the arrival of George W. Bush, fearing he would put his cowboy boot firmly in it when questioned on steel tariffs, the British detainees at Camp Delta and his self-styled "war on terror".

The draft of the Simpsons episode featuring Tony Blair has surfaced at Whitehall and officials suspected Homer's classic one-liner from the yet-to-be screened show: "I'm going to act the way Americans act best - unilaterally" - would be comfortably eclipsed by the real thing.

On top of this, Mr Blair had the prospect of a first, humiliating Commons defeat on controversial plans which could see hospitals in York and Harrogate become "foundation" Trusts.

His majority was indeed cut to 17 - the lowest yet and fairly shocking for a Prime minister with a majority of 160 - but he didn't lose.

In part this was down to the Scottish Labour MPs who voted for the policy despite the fact it doesn't apply north of the border and, therefore, doesn't bother their constituents or give them a headache at the ballot box.

He also benefited from eight of his MPs who had rebelled against foundation hospitals in previous votes losing their bottle and abstaining. If they had held their nerve, the majority would have been a nerve-shredding one.

But, most significantly, MPs who had been threatening to turn on Mr Blair

took a look at new Tory leader Michael Howard and decided they did not want to hand him such an early victory.

They may not particularly like him, but they like him a lot more than Mr Howard, and this will stand him in good stead when it comes to crunch votes on issues such as student top-up fees in the next Parliamentary session.

Mr Bush, meanwhile, was nothing like his cartoon caricature. Flanking Mr Blair at a Downing Street press conference yesterday, he was dignified, determined and impressive.

He handled an awkward question on Guantanamo Bay well, managing not to describe the Brits holed up in the Cuban camp as "bad" or "evil folks".

He was also unflustered by the thousands of protesters who thronged the streets of London.

"It is a fantastic thing to come to a country where people can express themselves," he said.

Slips on either of these topics would have reflected badly on Mr Blair, who has looked stupid by association when the President has given less assured performances.

But most of all, Mr Blair was given strength by the two explosions which claimed many lives and left hundreds injured in Istanbul.

The fact al Qida claimed responsibility for the outrage at the British consulate and HSBC bank placed the Prime Minister, and President Bush, back on the moral high ground for the first time since bombs began falling on Iraq.

He looked like a strong leader at a time when Britain needs strong leadership and a solid partner in the US.

"They terrorists are prepared to kill anyone. They are prepared to shed any amount of blood because they know how important this battle is," he said.

It was Mr Blair at his best, master - rather than servant - of events.

Updated: 09:46 Friday, November 21, 2003