CABINET Minister Robin Cook has been forced to defend Tony Blair's attack on residents fighting plans to build a huge asylum seeker centre at Throckmorton.

The Prime Minister provoked outrage when he suggested campaigners had a "not in my backyard" attitude".

Yesterday Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff criticised the comments at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons.

He had hoped to put Mr Blair himself on the spot - but the PM is at a world summit in Canada so Leader of the Commons Mr Cook was standing in.

"Last week the Prime Minister attacked my constituents when, in response to their concerns, about the proposed asylum centre at Throckmorton he claimed they wanted asylum seekers 'anywhere else but where I am'," Mr Luff said.

"The Bishop of Worcester has said this was 'an unwarranted slur on the serious intentions of the people from the churches of our diocese'.

"Can the Leader of the House identify any charity, trade union or non-governmental organisation that does support the plans to put asylum seekers and refugees in large rural camps?"

Mr Cook agreed with the PM that the issue should be looked upon as a "national issue" - rather than a local one.

"I understand the difficulties in local constituencies and local pressures, but it must be right to make sure we do provide centres that provide all the services required by the asylum seeker to make sure there is proper education for children, proper health for them and a proper ability to be integrated through language with the local community," he added.

Extremely important

"This is a national issue, it is extremely important that we provide the basis on which we can hold and handle those who are seeking asylum and it is a vast improvement on the policy of the previous Conservative Government.

"This was to disperse asylum seekers across the whole of the United Kingdom."

In a televised press conference last Thursday, Mr Blair had said: "I understand why people say 'I want them anywhere else but where I am'.

"But unless we take these measures we cannot tackle this problem. We either deal with this issue or we don't deal with it."

This prompted the Bishop of Worcester, Rt Rev David Selby to issue a statement criticising the PM.

It read: "The diocesan synod has made very clear that it accepts our responsibility as a diocese to give hospitality to asylum seekers and will do all it can to support any who are located at Throckmorton.

"However, in common with organisations who work with refugees, we consider the chosen location to be inappropriate for a variety of reasons.

"I regard the PM's statement as an unwarranted slur on the serious intentions of people from the churches of our diocese and I continue to urge reconsideration of the Government's proposal."