Tony Blair was urged to duck TV debates with Tory rival William Hague

Tony Blair was urged by aides to duck prime ministerial television debates with his Tory rival William Hague, according to newly released files.

The former politician was advised not to give into opposition demands ahead of the 2001 election, because the format was deemed an ‘irrelevance’.

Files at the National Archives in Kew show that Mr Blair’s advisers did not believe they would influence the outcome of an election.

While television debates are now a constant feature of election campaigns, at the time the format wasn’t widely embraced in the UK.

In January 2001, Mr Blair’s parliamentary private secretary Bruce Grocott advised him they were an ‘irrelevance’ which would have no impact on the outcome.

‘The country with the most experience of TV election debates is the United States and the practice shows that they are neither informative, illuminating, entertaining nor in any way significant in determining the election outcome,’ he wrote.

He said the only American example anyone could remember was the 1960 presidential election when an unshaven Richard Nixon, sweating under the studio lights, was widely seen to have come off second best against a clean-cut John Kennedy.

‘Since then everyone has learned the rules, not least remembering to shave, which has ensured that all subsequent encounters have been bland, banal, no-score draws,’ Mr Grocott added.

Mr Blair’s refusal to engage infuriated Tory leader Mr Hague and the Liberal Democrats’ Charles Kennedy but, with Labour well ahead in the polls, party strategists saw no reason to agree.

In 2010, former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown agreed to a television debate with David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

Mr Brown – who was trailing in the polls – still lost the election, with Mr Clegg emerging as the surprise star performer.

Sir Keir Starmer would only agree to two head-to-head television debates during the election campaign this year.

The files also reveal that Downing Street officials wanted to acquire a permanent prime ministerial battle bus to support Mr Blair on his visits around the country.

No10 officials thought it would be cheaper to take the idea of a campaign battle bus and turn it into a permanent feature of political life.

One official, Owen Barder, said it could be fitted with secure telecoms, including fax and email, as well as a TV, a video recorder, a photocopier, and space for the prime minister to change clothes.

He argued that it could be more efficient than booking hotel rooms at every stop and fitting them with secure communications so staff could work.

‘The present arrangement by which a comms engineer from the Cabinet Office sets up secure communications in the overnight hotel is expensive and inflexible,’ he wrote.

‘Several hotels in the South West have benefited from additional facilities being installed at our expense this week as we changed our plans about where we were staying overnight.

‘The day is characterised by frantic rushing to and from the vehicles with heavy bags of portable equipment.

‘The amount of equipment we set up at each location adds to the public impression of a travelling circus rather than an efficient and lean machine.’ 

The idea was later abandoned.