Dictator Blair: Premier could not see why cabinet should have a voice on key decisions

Some of those who worked closely with Mr Blair say he was dismissive of the views of his fellow ministers - preferring to limit decisions to a 'small revolutionary cell'.

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In a TV documentary, a former aide also reveals that the Prime Minister was desperate for a legacy as soon as he entered No 10.

Former Cabinet Secretary Lord Butler launches an outspoken denunciation of the Prime Minister's informal decision-making, condemning his failure to consult the Cabinet over the granting of independence to the Bank of England during his first days in power.

He says Mr Blair and Gordon Brown concealed their intentions from both senior civil servants and members of the Cabinet and the Prime Minister could not understand that he was bypassing centuries of British tradition.

Lord Butler says: 'That was a decision that had been taken in opposition and it hadn't been shared with the civil servants beforehand and we were only told about it in the first two or three days.

'The Government wanted to announce it on the Tuesday after the General Election.

'There wouldn't have been time for a meeting of the Cabinet by then. This is a big decision and an important decision and people expected it to be endorsed by the Cabinet. That seemed to come as a surprise to Tony Blair.

'He said: "Well they will all agree with it. You don't need to put this to the Cabinet".'

But one Cabinet member, David Blunkett, then the Employment Secretary, tells documentary maker Michael Cockerell: 'I knew absolutely nothing about it and initially I was against it.'

Lord Butler complains: 'New Labour had been a small revolutionary cell within the Labour Party. When they came into government they very strongly showed those characteristics.

'It was not a government where everything was thrown open to collegiate debate. Leadership of the Government reached a view on things and then they put those to their colleagues. It was very strong central leadership right from the beginning.'

In the programme, Blair: the Inside Story, which is being broadcast tonight on BBC2 at 9pm, Lance Price, the former No 10 deputy communications director, reveals that Mr Blair spent hours cultivating his legacy long before his premiership became a lame duck administration.

'It seems ridiculous now looking back but even then in the early years of the Blair Government when we were talking about legacy issues, legacy items,' he said.

'I remember we were talking with David Miliband, then head of the policy unit, talking about what symbols we could have that would be part of Tony Blair's legacy.'

The programme provides damaging new revelations about Mr Blair's fractious relationship with the Chancellor.

John Prescott discusses his private meetings with the two men during times of conflict, revealing that he had to order them to 'stop the huffing and puffing and find the agreement'.

Senior colleagues also give withering descriptions of Mr Blair's character.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson, a former postman, says the Prime Minister had no understanding of the working classes. 'The thing about Tony and his background is that he is incredibly posh. So he sometimes doesn't understand people from my background.'

Former Labour leader Lord Kinnock says Mr Blair has always been star struck by rich businessmen.

'He's impressed by wealth, he's impressed by uniforms and he's pretty impressed by intelligence officers and impressed by religious people,' he says.

The programme also reveals that Mr Blair jokingly offered the impressionist Rory Bremner a peerage.

'I first came across Tony Blair in France in 1996,' Mr Bremner said.

'He had just been leader for a couple of years. We did have a conversation about the election and he enjoyed the stuff we did about John Major and I said: "Of course when you get into power the boot will be in the other foot and it'll be stuff about you".

'He said: "Yeah and how does Lord Bremner sound", which was funny then but it's a lot funnier now.'