TONY Blair told for the first time last night how he has been converted to the cause of regional government.

In his first newspaper interview about the historic referendum in the North-East, the Prime Minister revealed his personal conflict over the need for a regional assembly.

"I was initially more sceptical," he admitted.

"But I have come round to it, partly as a result of the experience of giving self-government to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and London, and partly because I think there are certain issues - economic development, transport and the environment - that are better handled on a regional basis."

Mr Blair was speaking in the shadow of the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough where he, along with the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, had formally concluded the "Your Say" information campaign.

Now the political campaign leading up to the November 4 referendum by postal ballot begins.

"We've said today it's up to you, up to the people," said Mr Prescott. "At the end of the day, the northern people will make the decision about the northern regional assembly - and that's right."

Yes campaigners will hope that the choice of the venue for yesterday's event will prove symbolic, the Transporter Bridge being Middlesbrough's most famous landmark and so sending out the message that the south of the region will not be overshadowed by the more populous Tyneside.

"To look at Teesside and Tyneside as two different parts of the country is absurd," said Mr Blair, whose Sedgefield constituency is just a duck's sail down the River Tees from the Transporter Bridge. "They are not. They are intimately linked.

"For people to have one political voice that they can go to, that is not based down in Whitehall or Westminster, that is exclusively concerned with the problems of the North-East, I think that will be important."

Mr Blair said another reason for his conversion to the cause of regional government was the reorganisation of local government beneath it, and because the proposed assembly has what he calls "sensible" powers.

"It's not trying to do too much, but the budget it will be handling directly is over £500m which is a lot of money," he said.

"My move from being initially sceptical to being convinced that this is a right thing is I think echoed by other local civic leaders in the North-East. I think the mood is more in favour of this now."

Martin Callanan, the North-East Conservative MEP and a member of the North-East Says No Coalition, disagreed. "The attitude of the people is one of studied indifference," he said. "I think both campaigns have failed to generate public interest because people are not interested in a project foisted upon them by politicians.

"In reality, No 10 has been very successful in jeopardising the whole project by not giving the assembly any real powers or responsibilities."

Earlier in the day, the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern visited Mr Blair at his home in Trimdon prior to next week's talks about reviving the Irish peace process.

Speaking outside Myrobella House, Mr Blair insisted that there must be a ''complete and unequivocal end to violence'' by paramilitaries in Northern Ireland if the power-sharing executive is to be restored.

He said: ''It is two years now since I made a speech about acts of completion, saying we had to move the whole thing forward and get it done.

''Two years on, the elements are still the same. It is apparent what has to happen, there has to be a complete and unequivocal end to violence, there has to be a willingness on that basis to share power."

Mr Blair added: ''The elements are clear, the question is, is the will clear? Do people really want to do it?