FOREIGN Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw today stepped into the row over Cherie Blair's comments about Palestinian suicide bombers.

Mr Straw said he felt "compassion" for the bombers but he drew a distinction between the "depressed and misguided" volunteers and the "evil" terrorist leaders who organise the attacks.

The Foreign Secretary repeated his absolute condemnation of the bombings, describing them as "despicable" and "unjustifiable in any circumstances''.

Yesterday, Mr Straw told Parliament the latest suicide bomb attack on a bus carrying schoolchildren in Jerusalem, which left 20 dead including the bomber, was "evil beyond words".

But the Prime Minister's wife drew condemnation after saying later in the day that young Palestinians "feel they have got no hope but to blow themselves up" and failing to condemn the attack.

Today Mr Straw stood by his remarks. He said: "Nobody could have more strongly condemned the suicide bombings but I am judging these people by Western standards on the basis that any man's death diminishes me.

"I just think that I am opposed to suicide in any case and people must be depressed before they kill themselves."

Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans said: "Jack is coming to the aid of the Blairs yet again. If Denis Thatcher or Norma Major had tried to carve out a wider role for themselves like Cherie has done there would be an outcry."

Last night a spokeswoman for Mrs Blair said: "If any offence has been taken from the interpretation of her comments then Mrs Blair is obviously sorry."