Blair`s chances according to YouGov

&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2003/03/20/44710.html ' target=_blank>Tony Blair clings to a slim lead in his quest for a third term as British prime minister, despite widespread dissatisfaction with his support for President Bush and the war in Iraq.

Blair's steadfast backing has made him Bush's staunchest ally among foreign leaders but turned him into a lightning rod for criticism at home, where he is already the longest-serving Labor prime minister in history.

Polls show Blair and Labor with leads ranging from 3 to 8 percentage points. A poll released Monday by YouGov, an Internet research company, showed Labor with a 36% to 33% lead over the &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/politics/2001/09/15/ ' target=_blank>Conservative Party, its chief rival. The Liberal Democrats, the only major party to oppose the war, lagged the Conservatives by about 9 percentage points, reports the USA Today.

According to FT News, The huge increase in the lead could be the result of a highly aggressive stance which the Tories adopted against Tony Blair, the prime minister, in the middle of last week. Some Conservatives last night suggested that the tactic by Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, of branding Mr Blair a "liar" over the Iraq war had backfired badly.