But a seemingly innocuous question from a young schoolgirl left Tony Blair wrong-footed in front of a packed audience at the Customs House in South Shields last night.

"Do you think Gordon Brown has done a good job as Prime Minister?" she asked in a meek voice.

It was the question no journalist would dare put to Mr Brown's predecessor as PM.

"Erm, yes," he floundered.

That was the only uneasy moment in an engaging, philosophical and heartfelt performance.

At times, you could have heard a pin drop in the newly revamped auditorium as Mr Blair outlined how the world was changing, and how prepared Britain would have to be to cope with it.

He was introduced by Customs House director Ray Spencer, who cheekily offered him a role in the venue's upcoming panto.

Mr Blair declined, saying: "It's a very kind offer, but I've had enough pantomime doing Prime Minister's Questions for 10 years."

As his one-time apprentice David Miliband looked on, he said it was an honour and a pleasure to be in South Shields.

He recalled a time the pair were standing in the garden of 10 Downing Street, and Mr Blair asked Mr Miliband, his policy adviser at the time, how long he'd worked for him.

"Seven years," came the reply. "That's long enough," said Mr Blair, urging him to become an MP.

He added: "When I was MP for Sedgefield, I never stopped learning from my constituents, and I know, that no matter what heights David reaches in Government, he will always be working hard for his constituency.

"When I think back to those days, I remember him wonk-like, then a few years down the road, he's pitched up as Foreign Secretary."

Security was understandably tight. Plain-clothed security officers lurked in the shadows while uniformed officers patrolled the grounds of the venue.

A group of nearby protesters chanted "Tony Blair, war criminal", prior to the performance, something the former MP for Sedgefield in County Durham made light of during his speech.

"That made me feel rather nostalgic actually, although I don't know why they're shouting, 'Out, out, out.' I feel like going over to them and saying, 'Can I just correct you? I've already left'."

Mr Blair also made the point a passionately that education was at the very heart of Britain's future.

His lecture also included a swipe at bigots, saying: "Education is key, and that shouldn't be affected by gender, race or any other discrimination."

And he revealed some of his old socialist roots when he said the time-honoured phrase "A rising tide lifts all ships" was untrue. "A minority of ships get left behind," he said ruefully.

Mr Blair spoke optimistically of Britain's future, emphasising that the country was "in the driving seat", before taking questions from the audience on issues as diverse as Colombia, secondary school teaching, and whether he'd like to be Prime Minister again.

"No," came the simple answer to the last question, with a smile, and after thanking the audience, he left the stage.