Parliament Rebels Sting Blair

Following a daylong debate Tuesday, Parliament strongly supported the British government's decision to use "all means necessary" to strip Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction.

But Prime Minister Tony Blair — who has sent some 40,000 British troops to the Gulf — again suffered a major revolt among the members of his own party who oppose war without United Nations support.

Blair won a vote backing his Iraq policy in general, as expected, as well as a vote on an amendment, authored by the rebel Labor MPs, that declared the case for war "has not yet been established."

But the revolt by 138 Labor lawmakers who backed the amendment is the biggest show of dissent since Blair came to power in 1997 — and perhaps the largest ever rebellion against a prime minister, according to British political observers. A similar Parliamentary showdown last month saw 122 Labor lawmakers vote against the government.

The rebellion was not as serious as some predicted and the prime minister retained the backing of two-thirds of his lawmakers. But it was a major embarrassment for the government, whose tough stance on Iraq prompted one senior minister, two junior ministers and a handful of other officials to resign this week.

Following the votes, Labor rebels said it was now time to unite behind Blair and support British troops.

"I hope that the war will be over quickly," said Robin Cook, a senior Cabinet member who quit Monday over the crisis. "I hope it will be successful, and I hope all our troops, both the American and British, will be coming back," he said in a broadcast interview.

Blair said Wednesday that he believes Saddam Hussein has to be removed from power.

"Now were are faced with the prospect of either leaving him in place without disarming him, or making sure that we remove him from power," Blair told the House of Commons.

In a further reference to overthrowing Saddam, Blair said, "I believe we will have to."

Blair had consistently argued that regime change was not an explicit policy goal, but that it might be necessary to secure his overriding objective of depriving Iraq of any weapons of mass destruction.

"If the only means of achieving the disarmament of Iraq of weapons of mass destruction is the removal of the regime, then the removal of the regime has to be our objective," Blair said Wednesday.

"It is important that we realize that we have come to this position because we have given every opportunity for Saddam voluntarily to disarm, that the will — not just of this country but of the United Nations — now has to be upheld."

Blair took the biggest gamble of his political career in backing military action against Iraq despite strong opposition within his party and the British population.

Blair's survival seemed in some doubt last week. But in the past few days, his position has strengthened. Recent opinion polls have shown support swinging to Blair's side.

Among Labor MPs, there seemed to be a reigning-in, perhaps in fear they would weaken their leader and divide the parts. International Development secretary Clare Short threatened to leave Blair's government, but ultimately backed down.

The prime minister is gambling that a quick, successful war will sway public opinion and vindicate his stand. A long, bloody conflict, however, could lead to questions about Blair's political future.