Blair says he has 'full confidence' in Browne, on make-or-break day

On the day that is widely seen as "make or break" for Mr Browne - when he is grilled in Parliament about the Iran hostages debacle - support has emerged from several sources.

In addition to Blair's backing, support for Browne has also been voiced by Lord Robertson, a former Labour Defence Secretary and ex-Secretary-General of Nato.

He said: "Des Browne has done a superb job in some of the most difficult circumstances any Defence Secretary has had to deal with. He can be rightfully proud of what he has achieved in the last year."

The heads of the three armed forces have also offered their backing to Browne.

It has emerged that soundings were taken privately over the weekend by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup.

Mr Browne found unanimous backing - but the exercise was being described as "a humiliation" for the Defence Secretary.

This added to the fillip he received from a BBC Newsnight poll which found that 60 per cent wanted him to stay in the post.

Also, Major General Patrick Cordingly, the former commander of the Desert Rats in the first Gulf War in 1991, said the Defence Secretary should not resign, particularly now he had the backing of armed forces chiefs.

Mr Browne is fighting to save his career after admitting to mistakes in the naval hostages fiasco.

He is expected to confirm that "with hindsight" he should have vetoed a deal to let them sell their stories and that the Queen's Regulations will be updated to give clearer guidance.

He is also set to admit that his own MoD officials first suggested letting the freed hostages tell their stories.

But, he will add, the crucial decision that the 15 could cash in through media deals was taken at the Navy HQ at Portsmouth.

The Tories accused him of unfairly trying to offload blame to the Royal Navy and its second in command, Vice Admiral Adrian Johns.

They claimed that the Second Sea Lord did not agree to the 15 personnel selling interviews, because he was kept in the dark for several days after Mr Browne and his officials had been told.

Shadow minister for forces' families welfare Mark Harper said he had been passed information that Vice-Adml Johns only found out on Sunday April 8 - the day the row broke in the newspapers.

The MoD did not directly deny the claim that Vice-Adml Johns was unaware of the decision. But a spokesman said: "The submission that went to the Defence Secretary was sent from (Johns's) department."

The claim raises the question of whether junior naval officials actually pushed through the disastrous policy and whether they heeded advice from Mr Browne's team at the MoD.

Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, added: "It is clear that the Royal Navy were being used as cover for the inept political handling of this issue."

It is the latest twist in a controversy that erupted when captives Faye Turney and Arthur Batchelor were given permission to cash in on their experiences. Ms Turney pocketed around £80,000 while operator Arthur Batchelor made an undisclosed sum.

Last Monday Mr Browne belatedly banned the sale of further interviews. The Government has repeatedly said the Navy took the key decision but Mr Browne has yet to confirm or deny suspicions that his officials were consulted.

Michael Portillo, the former Tory defence secretary, said the support of the service chiefs could have saved Mr Browne. "If I was Des Browne, I would be very grateful to those service chiefs," he told BBC Radio 4.