AFTER a decade centre stage, the least they could do was rise to their feet to give the man known as 'The Actor' a round of applause.
MPs from around the Commons clapped the outgoing Prime Minister as he finished what was a somewhat awkward sessi
on of Prime Minister's Questions.
Except for a gang of defiant Scottish and Welsh nationalists and the press who staged a "sit in", the House of Commons took the unusual decision to applaud one of its own. Not since Robin Cook stood down from the Cabinet in 2003 over the war in Iraq had this happened. And yesterday, the same respect was, ironically, afforded to the man who led them into that war.
One Labour MP, who grudgingly clapped, said: "I thought it would be all right as long as he didn't interpret this as a call for an encore."
But it was his political opponents who paid the warmest tribute. Those who had been quickest to hurl insults were now smothering him with kind words.
A hushed silence descended over the House when Rev Ian Paisley, Northern Ireland's new First Minister, rose slowly to his feet. When Paisley speaks, his every word is imbued with meaning. There were times during talks on the future of Northern Ireland that the Prime Minister had been "angry ... and perhaps even lost his temper". Mr Paisley said he "fully understood the exasperation" Mr Blair felt during meetings with him.
"But I want to say that he treated me with the greatest of courtesy. I had many things that I disagreed with him on, but we faced them," he added.
He said the premier was now entering into "another colossal task" in the Middle East. He added: "I hope that what happened in Northern Ireland will be repeated."
Later, on the lawn by Parliament Square that was now littered with marquees for the press circus, George Galloway, who was expelled by Mr Blair from the Labour Party, was less gracious. He said appointing Mr Blair as Middle East envoy - was "like appointing Count Dracula as chief of the blood transfusion service".
Outside the Chamber, senior MPs were seen weeping, including at least one Cabinet minister. Given that the minister had not been a natural Blairite, there was suspicion it was more because they were tipped to be axed by Gordon Brown.
According to Mr Blair's aide at that morning's Lobby briefing, it had it started as an unremarkable day. He said: "On a day like today your refuge is work, you just throw yourself into it."
With the world's cameras trained on the door of No 10, the removal men had no choice but to bundle out the Blairs' possessions into a van. The treadmill looked particularly heavy, but it is perhaps an explanation of how at 53, Mr Blair has managed to maintain a trim figure.
He left in his official Jaguar car for Prime Minister's Questions with 45 minutes to spare, while anti-war protesters were unusually allowed inside the security gates at No 10.
"Scumbag!" shouted Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon was killed three years ago in Iraq.
For his final session as Prime Minister, Mr Blair admitted to the Commons that while he had not spent a lot of time in the Chamber, he was always nervous before Prime Minister's Questions and felt "fear and respect" for his colleagues.
As has become the custom since March 2003, Mr Blair opened PMQs by paying tribute to the soldiers who had lost their lives in Iraq. This time, he added that he wanted to say "truly sorry" for the dangers troops faced in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, he stressed he did not think their sacrifice was "in vain".
Run of the mill tributes flowed from David Cameron, the Tory leader, and Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader, who may one day play a role in a coalition Cabinet with Mr Blair's successor.
The Conservative leader praised his service and the patience of the Blair family. A fuschia-clad Cherie Blair, who watched the event from the special gallery with three of her children, nodded and shot him a grateful look. "That's nice" she said, touching the shoulder of her son, Euan, seated next to her.
The Tory leader later waved his troops to their feet, in a gesture that seemed to shout: "This is what we would do for the departing house master at Eton. On your feet boys!"
The session took a lighter turn as Mr Blair unveiled an important piece of mail he received that morning. It said: "Details of employee leaving work. Surname: 'Blair'; first name: 'T'. It said actually: 'Mr, Mrs, Miss or other'. This form is important to you, take good care of it, P45."
The youngest Blair, five-year-old Leo squirmed in his seat, desperately bored. After it was all over, Mr Blair appeared on the steps of Number 10 with his family for one last family photo for the press.
"We're not going to miss you," jibed Mrs Blair, who often felt the press had unduly picked on her.
As his children, Euan, Kathryn, Nicky and Leo went back into the house, Mr and Mrs Blair got into his car to take the short trip to Buckingham Palace, travelling up Whitehall and along the Mall.
Minutes later, Mr Blair was ushered into Buckingham Palace via the King's Door for his final audience with the Queen as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She was the person he once said he trusted the most - apart from his wife.
He then made the less salubrious trip, by train, to his Sedgefield constituency where last night he announced he was standing down as their MP.
It was a journey that would have proved impossible had the former Labour leader tried it 24 hours earlier, as the line had been closed by torrential floods. But Mr Blair knows better than most that, in politics, timing is everything. His parting shot to MPs in the Commons could not have been more fitting: "I wish everyone, friend or foe, well, and that is that. The end."
