Mrs Beckett conceded it was too early to say whether it could act as a "national catharsis" and bring down the curtain on his era.

And she said the UK would respect the Iraqis' decision to sentence the deposed dictator to death, despite being opposed to capital punishment.

The sentence was handed down in dramatic courtroom scenes on Sunday, with Saddam defiantly shouting "God is Great" and "You are servants of the occupiers".

Baghdad remained under curfew on Monday amid fears of a violent backlash, as defence lawyers awaited details of the verdict and prepared to appeal.

But Mrs Beckett insisted: "I suspect that people who would think that he was a martyr already think so and are probably people who would have supported or had no quarrel with the regime all the way through.

"I find it quite hard to believe that people who previously recognised the terrible crimes he committed, the people he murdered, the people he tortured, that they will feel he has been martyred by being brought to court, evidence presented against him and found guilty."

US president George Bush called the verdict "a milestone in the Iraqi people's efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law".

But, while welcoming the verdict, the European Union said Saddam should not be put to death.

Mrs Beckett, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme during a tour of India, said: "It is absolutely the case that we do not approve of the death penalty, never have and always try to persuade others not to use it. However, this is the verdict of the Iraqi court, it is a matter for the government of Iraq."

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