Blair Will Not Receive Gold Metal From Congress

When this trip was first proposed, it was planned as a genuinely historic occasion, with the British prime minister being honoured with a Congressional gold medal.

He will also address both Houses, joining Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill and Clement Atlee as the only Brit leaders to receive the honour.

He was to receive a hero's welcome as President Bush's staunchest and most constant ally since the attack on the twin towers.

It all looks very different now, however.

The award will not now be made during the current trip amid fears such a triumphalist occasion would play extremely badly in Britain where concerns over the war are reaching a new high.

The claims and counter-claims between the countries' intelligence services over Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons plans have cast a significant shadow over the visit.

The prime minister is under intense pressure to demand from the president the return of UK prisoners in Guantanamo Bay camp.

And both men are suffering public backlashes against the reasons for the war.