Tony Blair's decision to withdraw nearly a quarter of the British troops in Iraq over the next few months was welcomed yesterday by the Bush administration. Senior figures argued it showed that in parts of the country "things are going pretty well".

But although the prime minister told parliament the withdrawal of 1,600 troops would allow Iraqis to "write the next chapter in their history", US Democrats in Congress said the move was a sign that Britain was now giving up on the US in Iraq and contrasted it with the surge in US troop numbers to the country.