Harman issues election warning

Labour risks seeing its majority wiped out at the election unless it does more to appeal to women, a senior minister warns.

The support of women helped the party to victory in 1997 and 2001, but Solicitor General Harriet Harman warned Labour must do more to secure their support in next year's poll. "Women are going to make the difference between whether we have a 100-plus majority or a hung parliament.

Women's votes are absolutely crucial," she said. Ms Harman was speaking exclusively to the Evening Standard. Her comments come amid reports that Alan Milburn, the party's election supremo, is under pressure from senior women ministers to make Labour's campaign more female-friendly.

There is concern that "Worcester Woman", who helped Tony Blair to victory in 1997 and 2001, is turning her back on Labour. Female voters are said to be especially disillusioned with the Government's record on health and education.

A recent poll found support for Mr Blair among women had dropped by four per cent since 1997, leading to suggestions that Worcester Woman has been replaced by Letdown Lady. In a presentation to Mr Milburn, Ms Harman and Deborah Mattinson, the joint chief executive of the polling organisation Opinion Leader Research, said Labour could lose the election unless it appealed to women voters.

Ms Harman said Labour's election campaign should highlight the party's record on women's issues. " We cannot just assume that men and women vote on the same issues for the same reasons," she said.

"Women voters have always been key to Labour's chance of success. Women relate to politics differently to men. Women have different lives from men and we need to understand that, and our policies need to understand that, and the presentation of our policies needs to understand that."

The Camberwell and Peckham MP said Labour should also contrast its record with that of the opposition parties. She said: "We need to expose the Tories as being an old-fashioned party which regards women as someone who should be seen but not heard. They are like we were in the Fifties.

"The Lib-Dems haven't any women in key leadership positions as they don't have a national strategy. Labour is well placed. We have got more women and we have done more things for women."

Ms Mattinson has identified two key groups. These are older women, known as switchers, who deserted the Tories for Labour in 1997 but are now threatening to return to the Conservativesand younger female voters who are unlikely to vote for either party.

"The older women are particularly important simply because they are the ones who will vote. The other problem for Labour is the younger group are more working class, the party's traditional support, but they are less likely to vote," she said.