Loss of trust in Blair could weaken his grip on power

THE governing British Labour Party is expected to win a record third term in office in upcoming elections, but a loss of trust in leader Tony Blair and a revamped opposition may severely reduce their grip on power.

The main opposition Conservative Party and smaller Liberal Democrats sound more confident than ever that they can eat into Labour’s impressive 161-seat majority in Parliament at the election on May 5.

“It is going to be much closer than last time,” predicted Paul Whiteley, a professor of politics at the University of Exeter, referring to Labour’s landslide victory in May 2001, which followed a similar triumph in 1997.