A MOTHER who believes her son became autistic through the controversial MMR jab has taken her argument to Tony Blair.

Mandy Brunskill says the Government has made her feel like a scaremonger because she believes nine-year-old Liam was damaged by the measles, mumps and rubella jab he received when he was 12 months old.

The Government insists that the vast weight of scientific evidence says MMR is safe.

But Mandy has written to Mr Blair insisting that parents should have the right to choose between MMR and single innoculations.

She believes it is hypocritical of the Government to "dictate" what parents should do with their own children when the Prime Minister won't say what action he has taken with his own.

"People should be given a choice, and I want people to know what happened to my son after the MMR jab," she said

Mandy says her son was born a "normal, healthy and bright little boy" but deteriorated after his jab and was finally diagnosed with autism at the age of two.

She is now claiming damages of £50,000 in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court with other families against American company Merck & Co Inc for personal injury to Liam.

In her letter to Mr Blair, she writes: "Please do not undermine the general public by trying to brainwash them with propaganda publicity.

"Spend the taxpayers' money by offering choice to those parents who want the single vaccines and into research on why a minority of children are suffering for the safety of the majority."

Mandy, of Lindley Wood Grove, Clifton Moor, who also has a daughter, Amy, 11, said she would never let her children have any more vaccinations.

She said: "The whole family has been devastated and we still are. We have gone through every emotion with what has happened to Liam because we always wanted a son, but he is not the son that he set out to be.

"I don't want to scare other parents, but I do want to make them aware of what can happen."

The Prime Minister's office said it had not yet received Mrs Brunskill's letter and would not comment on it in any event.

The Government has now pledged £2.5 million for research to identify the causes of autism, but stresses that the studies would look beyond the alleged link with the triple MMR vaccine.

All the major health organisations in the UK and around the world agree it is the safest and best way to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella.

Updated: 10:08 Saturday, February 16, 2002