Labour woos women voters

Tony Blair was today announcing new plans to boost women's pay and holiday rights after internal polling showed working mothers are deserting Labour.

The Prime Minister will appear on Radio 4's Woman's Hour to promise that firms will have to carry out compulsory reviews of the pay gap between men and women. He will also outline an election pledge to give women a legal right to demand flexible working hours if they care for sick or elderly relatives.

However, the plan to extend maternity leave, and give parents of school-age children the same right to part-time work as parents of infants, has triggered an outcry from business leaders.

The Confederation of British Industry said forcing businesses to consider f lexible hours for millions more employees was unworkable. A spokeswoman said: "It will be very difficult for small businesses in particular to accommodate all these requests."

The Government's move comes amid fears in Labour's high command that Alan Milburn's "macho" campaigning style is putting off women. It is claimed that internal Labour polling showed support among married women with children had fallen by six points last week.

The drive to target women is yet another example of all three main political parties tailoring their policies to specific interest groups. The approach, dubbed "salami slicing", also targets pensioners, parents, homebuyers and students. Copying successful techniques used in the US, campaign chiefs have realised that it makes no sense to divide policies along traditional lines such as health and education. Instead, key voters want policies tailored to their needs.

But the various groups have one thing in common: they are more likely to vote than other sections of society. As one strategist put it: "There is Penny Pensioner, Sammy Student and Harry Homeowner. They each need their own message."