IT was Harold Wilson who famously observed that a week is a long time in politics. For Tony Blair, the past week has made a huge difference.

The Number 10 garden hadn't been looking rosy. On-going public disquiet about the war against Iraq and the failure to find the elusive weapons of mass destruction, rebellions against key policies such as foundation hospitals and tuition fees, and anxieties over the state of his health had all contributed to speculation about whether Tony Blair was past his sell-by date.

And then, last weekend, they found Saddam Hussein hiding down a rat hole and the Prime Minister suddenly had an early Christmas present to get really excited about.

The week ended with the unwrapping of another - the surprise and historic announcement from Durham City that Libya had agreed to dismantle its own weapons of mass destruction which were in secret production.

It is not as politically desirable as finding WMDs in Iraq. But the double whammy of unearthing Saddam and showing the world that neighbouring rogue states are developing nuclear and biological weapons comes a very good second.

Being able to announce that Libya had been persuaded to come back into the international fold was the icing on the cake. Mr Blair can argue that Libya's conversion is a product of his relationship with President Bush and a justification of the proactive approach they have taken together in tackling threats to world peace.

There are, of course, plenty of challenges facing Mr Blair as 2004 beckons.

The death of Dr David Kelly caused significant damage and the verdict of the Hutton inquiry in the New Year has the potential to further undermine public trust in the Government.

The battle to convince his own MPs about university fees is also a crucial one for the Prime Minister who has staked his credibility on the issue.

But he can relax just a little more over Christmas, knowing that the past week has brought the kind of surprises he desperately needed.