Therefore, the position has not changed." There are signs, though, that now the general election has passed Labour is more prepared to have a debate on the issue."People are perfectly at liberty to express their views on this. The Government is aware there is a debate going on," he added. Privately, some ministers are worried Mr Blair's tough line on drugs could leave Labour looking out of touch, especially among young voters.In a pamphlet published yesterday, Mr Lilley argued the law was unenforceable and indefensible in a country in which alcohol and nicotine are legal. He suggested magistrates issue licences for the sale of limited amounts of cannabis to people over 18 The drug would be taxed and carry a health warning.

People would not be able to smoke it in public places but would be allowed to cultivate it for personal use.Mr Lilley, a former secretary of state for social security, said: "What we have actually is the perverse situation that by making cannabis illegal it is only available through illegal sources, which are the same channels that handle hard drugs. So we are forcing cannabis users into the arms of hard drugs pushers. More people actually try cannabis in this country than in states where it is legally available."He said the argument that cannabis had serious health risks had been demolished by a study in the medical journal The Lancet, which concluded moderate use of cannabis had little ill-effect on health. Mr Lilley said cannabis was not a "gateway" drug to encourage users to move to hard drugs.Michael Portillo, who is backed by Mr Lilley in the Tory leadership race, said the issue would be considered during a wide policy review if he became party leader.

All four of the other leadership candidates said they welcomed a debate but remained opposed to legalisation.Mike Goodman, director of the drugs charity Release, said: "We're now having a much more sophisticated discussion and it's good that it is coming through leading politicians. The law on cannabis is long overdue for reform."p>Supporters and opponents of legalisationAssociation of Chief Police Officers: "As enforcers of the law we try to stay out of the debate However, we are not in favour. We see it as a dangerous drug and, though we are aware of the arguments for legalisation, we feel the arguments against are stronger."Charles Moore, editor of The Daily Telegraph: "Since last year we have supported the argument that there should be a period of experimental legalisation of cannabis so that if something goes horribly wrong, and we don't think it would, it could be reversed."Church of England: "Very good reasons for current restrictions." Roman Catholic Church: "Legalising narcotics is no answer to the problem of drug addiction. The Pope believes drugs are the 'consequence of an interior void'.

Preventative action is necessary."Townswomen's Guild: "The guild is in favour of the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes.". "You're the best looking bird I've seen today," says George Major, "You're the best looking bird I've seen today," says George Major, the reigning Pearly King of Peckham, as he performs a mini Lambeth Walk for me – as it happens, the only bird he's seen today – on the stairs inside his little terraced house. Afterwards, he cocks his leg in the "cheeky-chappy" Pearly way that, he says, brings smiles to the faces of the dying. We are not, as you might expect, in the insalubrious south-London borough from which Major, 64, takes his royal title, but in leafy Epsom, Surrey. It has been eight years since the Pearly King of Peckham finally gave up on the Old Kent Road and the rest of the kingdom that he inherited from his old dad, and his old dad, and his old dad before him."I still miss Peckham something terrible," says Major, voice suddenly trembling. "I held out and was one of the last to go, but I had to think about schools for my children." Few Pearlies, it transpires, still live in London these days.Mind you, says Major, moving to Epsom has not involved a betrayal of the working-class roots of the Pearly charity tradition, which is at least a century old. The first Pearlies were working-class people who dressed up in buttons to raise money for London's poor. Of the 150 or so remaining Pearlies, every family has its own traditional pearl-button design, and every man, woman and child sews his or her own suit Oh no, Mr Major hasn't gone all "posh" Home Counties.

In fact, he moved from his first home in Epsom because none of his neighbours "shared their lives" Truth be told, they did not even know each other's names. On the council estate where he currently lives, neighbours are closer.But while circumstances might force the Pearly out of London, they can't, it seems, prise London from the Pearly. The Thames, Big Ben and Tower Bridge look down from Major's living-room walls, along with a painting of jolly Pearlies on their way to Epsom races, taken early last century.In the the hall there are scores of photographs of Major's dad and granddad, testaments to entire lifetimes spent "in buttons". Even Cindy, the family dog, is featured, wearing her own special canine Pearly suit, along with Major's granddaughter Jade, 12, the fifth Pearly generation "The first black Pearly princess," says Major proudly "Her dad is West Indian.