THE Prime Minister can take little comfort from last night's support in the House of Commons for his stance towards Iraq.

Indeed there is much to concern him from the biggest parliamentary revolt he has faced since coming to power in 1997.

The scale of the opposition, particularly within his own ranks, demonstrates that the case for war has yet to be made.

Mr Blair will be wise to exploit what unites British public opinion and use that to his advantage in his efforts to disarm Saddam Hussein.

There is no opposition to the desire to stamp out any military threat posed by Iraq.

Indeed there is little opposition to the notion that the United States, Britain and others may have to go to war to achieve that goal.

The crux of the debate in the Commons, and among the wider British public, is not if we should contemplate war, but when.

If Mr Blair is serious in his desire to hold together British public opinion as well as the international community, then he should heed those who call for restraint.

From the United Nations weapons team there are indications that Iraq may be beginning to move towards meaningful co-operation.

This may well be merely a tactic adopted by Saddam Hussein to delay the march to war and exploit divisions emerging within the UN.

But there is little to be lost in giving Saddam a little extra time to determine whether or not he is serious about disarmament.

We are not talking about an indefinite delay, merely sufficient time to ensure that every diplomatic channel to resolve this crisis is exhausted before the ultimate sanction is undertaken.

The need to negate Saddam Hussein's threat to peace and security in the Middle East and beyond is undeniable. But so too is the need to keep together the international community under the auspices of the UN.

Following on from last night's Commons vote the tough task facing Mr Blair is to ensure both tasks are completed successfully.