Blair tries to steer focus away from Iraq

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday tried to move the election campaign away from Iraq as his Labour Party launched a last-minute offensive in key constituencies.

Mr Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown launched a final Bank Holiday blitz of key marginal seats in an attempt to shore up their vote ahead of Thursday's election.

The mini-tour, which took in four south-east seats taken by Labour for the first time in 1997, was used by Mr Blair to drive home his message that a protest vote for the Liberal Democrats could let the Tories in.