Tony Blair gets by with a little help from Cherie

Tony Blair gets by with a little help from Cherie

Reuters, Beijing

British Prime Minister Tony Blair had just endured a tough grilling from Chinese university students over the case for the war in Iraq when the request from one young student came in -- sing a song by the Beatles.

He got by with a little help from his wife.

The plea for some light entertainment came after a 45-minute question and answer session at Tsinghua University, and Blair, who was lead singer in a rock band called Ugly Rumours during his college days, wasted little time in deflecting it.

Cherie Blair -- with some prodding -- sang a verse from the Fab Four classic about staying faithful in old age, When I'm 64, as students surrounded the couple and clapped to the beat.

"I thought the atmosphere should be a little more warm," said a smiling Peng Linlin, 21, who popped the request as Blair was shaking hands before heading to the door. "I'm proud of it."

Before the impromptu recital, students peppered Blair with questions ranging from the Iraq war to his views on the European Union (EU) and the suicide of David Kelly, a weapons expert at the center of a row over Britain's reasons for waging war with Iraq.

Students were generally positive about the debate afterwards, describing Blair as eloquent and persuasive, although some felt he dodged questions.

Lu Yanan, 21, was not pleased with the response to her query. The journalism school student asked how Blair felt when he first heard of Kelly's death last week and how the prime minister planned to weather the political crisis.

"He expressed his sorrow, but I don't think he answered me directly and clearly," she said later. "He answered it like a disguise, I think."