Tony Blair was taken to hospital last night for treatment for a suspected slipped disc in his back.

He visited the hospital for an anti-inflammatory injection after seeing his GP about a back pain that he has apparently suffered for several months after straining it in the gym.

Downing Street insisted that it would have no effect on his work schedule, and he will proceed with a meeting this morning with José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, at Chequers.

A Downing Street source said the prime minister hurt his back several weeks ago.

"He thinks it was in the gym. He felt a lot of pain after one of his regular sessions and had to put up with it for quite a time. But it did not stop him doing anything."

Although Cherie Blair later denied the claim, Andrew Platts, a consultant radiologist who treated the prime minister, said: "The PM has been suffering from a slipped disc and has received treatment for this problem this evening."