The Hindu : Front Page : Tony Blair wins historic third term

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 07, 2005

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Front Page

Tony Blair wins historic third term

Hasan Suroor

Acknowledges that Iraq was a "very divisive issue" causing losses to Labour Party

— Photo: AP

LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair was back in Downing Street on Friday after leading the Labour Party to an unprecedented third successive term in office but the achievement was overshadowed by an embarrassingly reduced majority mainly as a result of the backlash over Iraq, and the Conservatives' campaign against immigration.

A visibly chastened Mr. Blair acknowledged that Iraq had been a "very divisive" issue as Labour lost more than half of its sitting MPs pushing its majority to well below the party's worst expectations — its share of the national vote plummeting to a historic low.

Despite his own impressive victory, Mr Blair's personal authority was seen to have been damaged because of the setback to the party prompting speculation that the pressure on him to step down might increase in the coming months.

Conservatives gain

The Conservatives pulled off an unexpectedly good performance picking up more than 30 seats on the back of a xenophobic campaign that seemed to have played well with voters not only in the predominantly white countryside but also with large sections of the urban electorate including Asian immigrants.

The party leader Michael Howard said he was "proud" of the campaign. "We have taken a stand on the things that really do matter to the people of this country," he said.

He indicated that he would step down soon to make way for a younger leader.

The Liberal Democrats significantly improved their share of the national vote but were not able to gain too many extra seats. They benefited mostly from the "protest" vote against Labour.

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said the voters had ushered in an era of "three-party politics" in Britain with his party emerging as a "truly national party" poised to play a "big role" in Parliament.

Iraq, an issue

By mid-day on Friday, with most of the results declared, Labour's new majority stood at over 60 — down from 161 in the last Parliament.

The casualties included at least four ministers, Oona King, Stephen Twigg, Christopher Leslie and Melanie Johnson. Ms. King lost to George Galloway of the anti-war Respect Party in a high-profile East London constituency.

A former Labour MP, Mr. Galloway was expelled from the party after he appealed to the British troops in Iraq not to fight.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had anxious moments in his predominantly Muslim constituency of Blackburn before scraping through with a reduced margin.

Even the anti-war Labour candidates such as the former foreign secretary, Robin Cook, who resigned from the Government over Iraq, had a hard time. Mr. Cook said he was told by his constituents that they would not vote for him because of the Labour Party's support to the war. "If it was like that for me, it might have been at least as strong for others," he said.

Mr. Blair, who turned 52 on Friday, is the first Labour Prime Minister to have won three consecutive terms.

Reacting to the results, he admitted that the party did not enjoy the same level of trust as before. "We have to respond to that sensibly, wisely and responsibly," he said. But he insisted that the people still wanted a Labour Government.

In a House of 646, at the time of writing, Labour had got 355 seats, the Conservatives 197, Liberal Democrats 62, and others 13.

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