Britain urged to halt far-Right

Britain's three main political parties were today summoned to an urgent summit aimed to ensure that the inroads of the far-Right in France are not repeated here.

But at the same time there was evidence that British voters are turning away from politics in record numbers. A new opinion poll warns of a virtual meltdown in the turnout at the local elections in London and across the country in two weeks' time.

The poll, by ICM, suggests that barely one in four of those entitled to vote will do so. That would be even worse than the 28 per cent turnout the last time the council contests were fought in 1998 - then an all-time low which sparked alarm among the politicians.

Labour has already voiced fears that apathy will allow the far-Right British National Party to make local gains in areas such as Oldham and Burnley, where it has been active. That concern was greatly sharpened by Sunday's shock success of Le Pen in France.

The chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, Gurbux Singh, has asked for talks today with senior Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat figures to discuss a "united front against racism ... and the politics of disunity".

The talks were expected to include Labour chairman, Charles Clarke, Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, and either Iain Duncan Smith or shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin for the Tories.

Mr Singh, in a letter to the party leaders, described the French election as "a wake-up call". And he warned: "We too face the threat of far-Right wing groups trying to seize the political momentum, capitalising on ordinary people's dissatisfaction with mainstream politics."

The elections on 2 May cover the 32 London boroughs together with more than a hundred city, town and shire councils. The ICM survey in The Guardian found 54 per cent of voters aware that elections are about to take place in their area. Of those who know elections are on the way, 46 per cent say they are "certain to vote". The combination of "don't know" and "don't care", the pollsters predict, will mean that turnout will be no more than 25 or 26 per cent.