LEFT-WING East Lancashire MP Gordon Prentice was slapped down angrily by Tony Blair yesterday when he asked if there had been a single act of renewal in the 10 years he had been Labour leader.

During a televised Prime Minister's question time in the House of Commons, Blair told him there were plenty of examples of renewal since the party took power in 1997 - and told the Pendle Labour backbencher to go back and tell his constituents.

Mr Prentice - a persistent critic of Mr Blair - asked: "A decade ago, you won the Labour leadership on a manifesto promising change and renewal.

"Now after seven years in Government can you think of a single dramatic act of renewal which would would make the British public sit up and take notice?''

Amid prolonged laughter across the Commons after the attack, an angry premier hit back saying: "Actually I can think of several, apart from the fact that we've had two successive Labour governments.

"We've had economic stability instead of boom and bust, we've had two million more jobs in place of three million unemployed, we've had a national minimum wage instead of no minimum wage, we've had record investment in health and education, and we've had half a million children lifted out of poverty.

"That's some renewal, maybe you should go back and tell your constituents about it."

After the exchange, Mr Prentice said diplomatically: "I thought the Prime Minister answered my question in his usual professional way.

"He gave a list of the achievements of the Government but did not actually answer my question.

"I think it is a good idea if people are reminded of the achievements of this Labour government. It has achieved a huge amount."

But he added: "Tony Blair was elected on a manifesto of change and renewal both as Labour leader and Prime Minister and all governments have to renew and re-invigorate themselves.

"My question was about in the long and that was the question not answered by the Prime Minister."

A spokesman for Mr Blair said: "We never comment on exchanges between Mr Blair and MPs at Prime Ministers questions."