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Tony Blair’s office plays down reports of Feb elections

LONDON: Tony Blair’s office played down reports on Sunday that the British prime minister plans to call a snap general election in February.

Blair has ordered top election strategist Alan Milburn to launch a television and poster advertising campaign in the New Year under the slogan “Britain is Working”, the Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday Times reported, without disclosing their sources.

But a spokesman for the prime minister’s office described the claims as “idle speculation”. Political analysts have previously said an election is likely to be held in May or later in 2005.

A spokesman for Blair’s Labour Party said that the election date was ultimately a matter for the prime minister, but added that he was unaware of anything to suggest that it would be in February.

A February poll is favoured by the prime minister to maximise his present opinion poll advantage over Michael Howard and his main opposition Conservative party, the newspapers said.

In addition, Blair hopes that Labour will benefit from a “Baghdad bounce”, following what he hopes will be the successful staging of elections in Iraq at the end of January, they said.

Meanwhile a poll showed Labour extending its lead over the opposition Conservatives by four points.

Asked how they would vote if there were a general election tomorrow, 39 percent said Labour, a seven point rise since the last equivalent poll a month ago, according to the Communicate Research poll for the Independent on Sunday.

The poll also suggests that Blair’s staunch support for Bush over the Iraq conflict has been bad for Britain.

Asked whether Blair’s support for Bush in Iraq has been good for Britain, 19 percent agreed, 74 percent did not agree, and seven percent said they did not know.

On the question of whether the world would be a safer place if US President George W. Bush rather than Democrat challenger John Kerry wins this week’s US presidential election, 24 percent said it would be, 56 percent disagreed and 20 percent did not know. afp

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