Blair cuts Major out of his 'grandstanding' Ulster peace address

Sir John was the architect of the peace process in the early 1990s and Tory MPs are furious that he is not playing a major role in the celebration of devolution.

Mr Blair and Irish Premier Bertie Ahern will speak to MPs and Peers from the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords - a week after the Stormont Assembly takes power over the region on Tuesday.

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Joint addresses to the Lords and the Commons are exceptionally-rare and are usually reserved for speeches by world statesmen.

MPs and Peers have been invited to apply for tickets by Commons Speaker Michael Martin but have been warned that they are limited.

Some of the Opposition MPs angered by the snub to Sir John are also concerned that Mr Blair was staging the event in an effort to secure his legacy on Northern Ireland before he leaves Downing Street.

Sir John's moves towards peace in the province have been noted as one of his greatest achievements.

As Prime Minister, he established the Northern Ireland Peace Process in the early 1990s and agreed the Downing Street Declaration and Joint Frameworks Document with successive Irish Premiers.

These formed the building blocks for the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

However, his spokesman yesterday said of the special address: "This is the first we have heard of it. Sir John has not received an invite." Westminster sources added that Downing Street was responsible for deciding who should be invited to the May 15 event. One said: "The Speaker just provides the venue."

Tory MP Ben Wallace, a former Army officer who served in Northern Ireland, said: "Any event that is going to involve both Houses should involve some of the original architects of the peace process - namely John Major, David Trimble and Bill Clinton.

"But if this is going to be used as another pre-planned Blair farewell or a PR putsch, then he will be dishonouringthe memory of those who died in Northern Ireland." < Tory MP Peter Luff added: "Northern Ireland is the full extent of his legacy. Some will see this as grandstanding but he has nothing else to crow about after ten wasted years in power."

Another MP, who did not want to be named, added: "This is showboating of the highest order."

Previous speakers who have been invited to address a special gathering of both Houses include Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.

The former Cabinet secretary Lord Butler of Brockwell has said that Sir John took greater risks to secure peace in Northern Ireland than Tony Blair and that the former Prime Minister's record is unfairly overlooked.

He praised Mr Major for facing down Cabinet sceptics worried about secret talks with Sinn Fein.

Lord Butler said: "There were more people in his party who were, because of their link to the unionists, and because they felt that you'd never get anywhere with these people (republicans), who were very willing to criticise it if it went wrong."