THE Prime Minister yesterday delivered a scathing new attack on Labour leader Tony Blair and his Shadow Cabinet over the London Tube strike.

He claimed New Labour was ``on a sponsored silence'' in failing to condemn outright the action in support of a demand for a shorter working week.

Meanwhile, Labour deputy leader John Prescott was forced to deny as ``a load of nonsense'' claims he had to be ``scraped off the wall'' because of his anger over Mr Blair's backing for the parties in the strike to seek arbitration.

He told a BBC Radio Humberside phone-in: ``Tony and I have discussions about all manner of things, and very good discussions, and we have a very good partnership indeed.''

Asked if he backed Mr Blair's stand on the strike - Mr Blair has not spoken publicly but he authorised Education and Employment spokesman David Blunkett to issue the arbitration call - Mr Prescott said the press had got it wrong.

``David made it clear he would like the parties to consider arbitration, and indeed, the facilities for arbitration are actually in the London Regional Transport statement of industrial events, so they can use that facility if they want. David was advising them to consider that.''

Mr Prescott dismissed as ``totally untrue'' speculation that he was kept in the dark about important policy points: ``Tony Blair is a man that you can talk with constantly about any kind of issue. Anybody that talks with him knows that's his style, and he keeps me informed of developments in our discussion, and this was completely true in this case as well.''

Mr Major, touring Devon and Cornwall, said neither Mr Blair nor any member of his team had yet condemned the stoppages outright: ``I call on every member of the Shadow Cabinet to condemn the strike from their own mouths. If they don't, we will know their hands are tied by their trade union paymasters.

``Hiding behind a curtain of silence is not a qualification for government.

``The striking RMT sponsors the political activities of some of the most prominent members of Tony Blair's Shadow Cabinet. So New Labour is on a sponsored silence.''

Conservative Party chairman Dr Brian Mawhinney joined in, saying: ``Nothing illustrates Labour's unfitness to govern better than the hypocrisy of their approach to the Tube strike.

``They mouth words like `arbitration' for public consumption in an attempt to achieve some respectability. But to please their union paymasters they refuse to condemn the strikes. It is time for every member of the Shadow Cabinet to condemn the strike in their own words and on the record. Until they do, New Labour will be seen as the strikers' friend.''

However, Labour peer Lord McCarthy, a leading authority on industrial relations, defended his party's position, by insisting arbitration was not a new idea for Labour.``When Labour was in office, they favoured arbitration,'' he said. ``Most of the arbitration that existed was destroyed by the present Government.''

``I dare say a new Labour government would want to build up those agreements again. There's nothing new in that,'' he said on BBC Radio 4.