Under pressure from Michael Howard, the prime minister has indicated that a government rethink is possible on moves to give the public greater rights to defend their homes from burglars.

The two party leaders crossed swords over a Tory-led measure that has generated a range of media support.

Howard called on the prime minister to support a bill which would allow someone to use force against burglars attempting to break into their homes.

In a surprise move, Tony Blair conceded there was "genuine public concern" over the issue and pledged to examine the case for a change in the law. "We are on the side of the victim and not the offender," he said.

Blair said both parties should "agree" to bring forward proposals on the basis of advice from senior police officers and prosecutors.

"If we get the right result back then of course we will support a change in the law," he added.

Earlier this week, constitutional affairs secretary Lord Falconer said concerns would be better addressed by making "people aware that that is the law".

"I am not sure that changing around the legal test is what would make the difference," he said.

But in the Commons, Howard said the prime minister was attempting to ape Tory policy for electoral advantage.

Accusing Blair of being "Mr Bandwagon", the Tory leader said: "When we lead he follows."

The clash led to rowdy scenes in the Commons – where MPs are preparing for the run up to the general election.

Blunkett's embarrassment

In his second set of questions, Howard sought to capitalise on David Blunkett's disparaging comments about his Cabinet colleagues.

Referring to remarks made by the home secretary that appear in a new book, the Tory leader asked: "Does the prime minister agree with his current home secretary that after four years of Labour government he inherited a 'giant mess'?"

The home secretary has already apologised to his colleagues for the comments, but Howard was eager to make political capital out of the embarrassment as Blunkett sat alongside the targets of his comments on the government frontbench.

Blair responded by saying "at least he never said there 'something of the night about us'" as Howard's own Home Office deputy Ann Widdecombe had done.

He went on to defend Labour's record on cutting crime in both the first and second terms.

Howard followed up the issue, saying: "Do you know what he said about me? He said I was the first home secretary who focused on cutting crime.

"Now I'll tell him what he said about the Home Office when he took over: 'It was worse than any one of us had imagined possible. God alone knows what Jack [Straw] did for four years. We simply couldn't comprehend how he had left it as it was. It was a giant mess.'

"And he doesn't stop there. He says the culture secretary is 'weak', he thinks the trade secretary doesn't think 'strategically' and he thinks the education secretary 'hasn't developed as expected'.

"He said the prime minister 'doesn't like being told the truth', and he says the chancellor, no doubt the prime minister agrees, is a 'bully'."

The prime minister responded by comparing Howard's record in government with the Labour administrations.

"People remember not the comments but the record and that's what we'll be concentrating on," Blair said.

Earlier in the exchanges, Tory MP Desmond Swayne had also challenged the prime minister on the alleged conflict with his chancellor.

Blair dismissed the latest bout of speculation about the state of relations between himself and Brown.

"Under this government and under this chancellor we have had two million extra jobs," he said.