Don't be complacent, warns Blair

Tony Blair today appealed to Labour voters to ignore polls predicting another landslide win for the party.

Fearing that thousands will stay at home because they assume the Tories are being routed, he claimed: "In marginal seats this is a tough, tight fight."

Labour managers are worried that a low turnout by apathetic supporters will mean the party's majority could be cut sharply. A welter of new polls claim the Conservatives are falling further behind and Mr Blair could win a third term with a majority of up to 150.

He urged: "Forget the polls. The polls are all over the place," and said the result of people failing to vote could be a Tory victory.

The polls claim Labour's lead is somewhere between one and 10 points, but Tory leader Michael Howard said: "I'm looking forward to the opinion poll on 5 May. I'm very optimistic and confident about the outcome."