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Iraq war costs Blairâs party in local vote
Anger over the war in Iraq got the blame on Friday as Prime Minister Tony Blairâs Labour Party suffered big losses in local council elections. With two-thirds of the 166 local councils declared, Labour was on its way to a third-place finish. The BBC projected that the main opposition Conservative Party would finish with 38 per cent of the total vote, followed by Britainâs third party, the Liberal Democrats, with 29 per cent. The Labour Party was projected to finish with 26 per cent of the total vote....Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott told BBC Radio that the war in Iraq was a major factor, but he predicted that public services, not war, would be the deciding factor in next yearâs general election. "Iraq was a cloud, or indeed a shadow, over these elections," he said. "I am not saying we havenât had a kicking. Itâs not a great day for Labour." The council elections arenât the only test for Blairâs party. Britons were also voting for representatives to the European Parliament. Results for most of the 25 European Union member countries wonât be known until Sunday, but unofficial results show opposition parties that opposed the war in Iraq were scoring significant gains.Posted by: Rafael 2004-06-11 |
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