The prime minister told MPs yesterday that the deployment of combat troops to Afghanistan was "essential" and insisted they would not get "bogged down" in a protracted ground offensive.

During yesterday's PMQ exchanges, Tony Blair said there would be no mismatch between those UK troops in the country for peace-keeping purposes and the new combat units.

In a later emergency opposition debate on the deployment of the Royal Marine commandos, from which the prime minister and other cabinet ministers, were absent, Conservatives supported the move but warned the government against any "open-ended" commitment in the region.

Today's Mail claims that Blair and his senior ministers "snubbed" yesterday's emergency debate.