Leeds Today reports:

Prime Minister Tony Blair has suffered a shock defeat over new race and religious hate crimes, losing a key measure by just one vote when he himself failed to appear at the count....

Mr Blair had been told by his Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong, who is in charge of party discipline, that he did not need to vote on the key measure. But the Government was defeated by the narrowest of margins of 283 to 282 votes – which it would have won had Mr Blair stayed to vote as the Speaker would have had the final say in a tie and voted with the Government.