Today's Indy Watch

Back to a popular topic and the war in Iraq with a twist and Tony Blair's only adversary Hans Blick,the UN weapons inspector turns his attention onto Britain's weapons of mass destruction according to the paper.

"Dr Hans Blix, the former UN weapons inspector, will launch a new attack on Tony Blair today, warning that the decision to press ahead with a full replacement for Trident will make it more difficult to stop Iran acquiring the bomb.

The respected chairman of the Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction will use a speech in London to renew hostilities with Mr Blair. He will say that modernising Britain's arsenal puts the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) under "strain" and increases the feeling among non-nuclear states, such as Iran, that they are being "cheated" by the nuclear states. "

In its leading article the reasons for it front page prominence become apparent

The news that Hans Blix is lecturing today in Britain on nuclear weapons must surely raise at least a few hackles on the back of the Prime Minister's neck, for this is Round Two of the Blair versus Blix contest. Round One saw the former UN weapons inspector in Iraq urging Tony Blair and George Bush not to jump to conclusions about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Messrs Blair and Bush famously knew better and the rest is history.