An attempt by the British Airways chairman to enlist Tony Blair’s support for the airline’s ban on a worker wearing a gold cross backfired badly yesterday.

Martin Broughton tried to win the Prime Minister’s backing at the CBI conference for BA’s controversial policy on uniforms. But the move rebounded on the airline chief when Mr Blair responded with a blunt rebuke and signalled his sympathy with Nadia Eweida, the BA worker at the centre of the row.

Mr Broughton startled delegates at the CBI’s annual conference in London by broaching the furore surrounding BA’s suspension of Ms Eweida without pay during a question- and-answer session with the Prime Minister. With controversy over the case beginning to fade, delegates were surprised by the airline’s chairman’s high-risk tactics of raising the matter with Mr Blair.

Addressing the Prime Minister, Mr Broughton accused Jack Straw, Leader of the Commons, of inflaming the row with a “chorus of abuse”. Last week Mr Straw attacked the airline’s stance as “quite intolerable”.

Mr Broughton asked Mr Blair: “Given that the police, the army and other government uniformed staff have an identical policy to BA in relation to crosses outside of the uniform, do you find the Government’s policy wholly inexplicable?”

But the Prime Minister left the BA boss in little doubt that he did not. He told Mr Broughton: “Look, Martin, do you want my really frank advice on this? One of the things I learned in politics is that there are some battles really, really worth fighting, and there are battles really, really not worth fighting.

“What I would say to you on that is, get yourself on the right side of the line on that one.”

In more emollient comments, Mr Blair added: “That’s my honest advice, and I understand that it’s really difficult, and incidentally, British Airways is a great airline . . . I am a fan of the airline and a fan of its management. But there are some things that arise in certain ways and you’re best just to do the sensible thing, know what I mean?”

Earlier, in questioning Mr Blair, Mr Broughton had rejected suggestions by commentators that BA should “use common sense”, protesting that anti-discrimination law was “a minefield”.

He suggested that “such a use of common sense would be illegal under the current act” since “every conceivable minority sect” would have to be given equal treatment.

BA last night rejected suggestions that Mr Blair’s response amounted to a slapping down. A spokesman said: “The chairman thought it was a constructive and sympathetic response from and admirer of the airline.”

Ms Eweida, from Twickenham, southwest London, has remained at home without pay since the dispute flared last month and is waiting for a date for a second disciplinary hearing in the next few weeks.

• It was déjà vu for BA as prime ministerial salt was rubbed into its PR wound yesterday. In 1997, it was handbagged by Lady Thatcher, aggrieved that its new logos had no Union Jack. Declaring: “We fly the British flag, not these awful things,” she draped her handkerchief over the tailfin of a model jet.

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