Election truce for Pope's funeral

Friday, 8 April 2005 12:00 AM

Election campaigning has been suspended today as Britain's leading politicians called a "truce" for the Pope's funeral.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, Conservative leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy will all be in Rome to mourn the passing of Pope John Paul II alongside other world leaders.

No further campaigning will occur today, while attempts to score political points ahead of the May 5 election will also be kept to a minimum tomorrow as Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles in Windsor.

The truce comes as an opinion poll today puts Labour only one point ahead of the Conservatives.

Parliament will officially be dissolved on Monday and all parties are set to hit the campaign trail with renewed vigour next week.

So far, Labour have put the emphasis on the economy, with Mr Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown putting on a united front when criticising the Tories' economic plans.

The Conservatives have put a crackdown on crime and an attack on the present healthcare system at the heart of their campaign, with Mr Howard being vocal in his criticism of the way the Government have dealt with the MRSA superbug crisis.

For their part, the Liberal Democrats have so far focused on the education policies they would implement if elected, including reducing class sizes and scrapping GCSEs and A-Levels for a new diploma-style exam.

Today's YouGov poll for the Daily Telegraph puts Labour on 36 per cent, and the Conservatives one point behind on 35 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats meanwhile are down one on 21 per cent.

The YouGov poll is consistent with other polls taken immediately after the election, but it also found voters hesitant to trust the Prime Minister and his Government in a third term of power.

The poll suggests many voters still think the Blair government "consistently lied" or reneged on promises.

Chief in voters' minds was the rationale for the Iraq war, namely the conspicuous absence of weapons of mass destruction.

Should the poll reflect results at the next election, Labour would secure a third term of office but with a reduced majority.

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