Political broadcast by the Best Friends' Party

THE PRIME MINISTER and the Chancellor of the Exchequer made broadcasting history yesterday by being interviewed together on the radio.

Tony Blair described their relationship as the strongest political friendship in Britain, dismissing stories that claimed Gordon Brown had not forgiven him for becoming leader of the Labour Party. For his part, the Chancellor joked that his neighbours at 10 Downing Street were a noisy family, and complained of hearing the Prime Minister playing his guitar too loudly.

Mr Blair confessed that he found being Prime Minister "remorseless" and said that he regretted having to live in a flat above 10 Downing Street.

The two were given a remarkably light grilling by listeners to Scott Chisholm's phone-in show on Talk Radio.

Callers to the programmewere sceptical about the Budget and focused on ways in which it would make them poorer. Several complained about increases in duty on vehicle fuel.

Mr Brown offered personally to intervene in the case of a disabled caller who asked whether he would be eligible for benefit to soften the impact of increased fuel duties. "Why don't you write me a note and we will get this sorted out?" said the Chancellor.

The Prime Minister lived up to his reputation for false modesty when he said to one caller: "Hello Joyce, Tony Blair here..." before going on to explain why the Government could not afford to scrap the television licence fee for pensioners.