He added that the Tories and Liberal Democrats had not presented any policies that gave him concern during the recent campaign. Mr Blair said he would tell the Parliamentary Labour Party's meeting on Monday: "It is important that we see through difficult decisions necessary to make our country strong and make the world a safer and more secure place. We have to stick to our decisions."Labour officials predicted "very poor" results One Labour source said: "There is a backlash over Iraq. It is not confined to Muslims and professional workers inside the M25.

It is hurting us among working and middle-class people, too."The Liberal Democrats gained control in Pendle. Their leader Charles Kennedy said last night: "The early signs for us are extremely encouraging."But there was some welcome relief for Labour when two opinion polls suggested last night that Ken Livingstone was on course for victory in the London Mayoral election, the result of which will be announced tonight. That would provide a crumb of comfort for Mr Blair, vindicating Labour's decision to readmit him to the party in an attempt to head off a humiliating defeat in the capital, where Mr Livingstone won as an independent four years ago.Labour is hoping some of the pressure on Mr Blair will be relieved on Sunday, when results to the European Parliament are announced. Labour would win 327 seats (down 86), the Tories 257 (up 91), the Liberal Democrats 46 (down six) and other parties 29, while UKIP would not win a single seat.

The effort that goes into his work is obvious - sweat gradually colours the whole of his embroidered shirt, though his fresh-faced demeanour and his energy remain constant. It was a shame that Noble didn't have a larger stage to bound around on, as he did recently at the Hammersmith Apollo, where he recorded a set for Jack Dee's forthcoming BBC TV show Indeed, even larger spaces may beckon. Each author will select his or her personal winner, who will receive a hand-bound edition of their efforts under a joint credit.The openings provided by Alexei Sayle and Fay Weldon were the most popular, although Ian Rankin's rated highest among entrants from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.Alison Black, the series producer, said it had been impossible to gauge the potential level of interest before the entries began to come in. By yesterday afternoon, 671,088 votes had been returned in the North-east, representing 35.3 per cent of the forms sent out. In the previous European elections of 1999, the turnout in the region fell below 20 per cent, dipping to 13 per cent in some areas.Numbers voting in the North-west, where 19.5 per cent took part in the 1999 ballot, had reached 37 per cent by Wednesday evening and was expected to reach 40 per cent. The YouGov survey of 6,000 people for Sky News found that the Tories would get 36 per cent of the votes, Labour 32, the Liberal Democrats 18, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) seven and other parties seven.These figures would wipe out the 165-strong majority Mr Blair won at the previous election. "In the end you have to face decisions which you think are right and you have to see them through.'' A new opinion poll showed he would lose his huge overall majority if a general election were held now and that Britain would have a hung Parliament.

The nearby Northowram and Shelf ward came within 100 votes of returning a BNP candidate last May.. Tony Blair suffered a severe setback early today as Labour was hit by a series of defeats in the local authority elections. Hehas donated £22,000 to the Tories, of which £6,250 was for Mr Duncan Smith's 2001 campaign to become Tory leader. Its share of the vote dropped five points since last year's local elections, while both the Tories and Liberal Democrats were up three points. Labour also lost its overall majority in Burnley.A BBC survey showed Labour on course for its poorest showing in town hall elections in recent times.