Blair has key role to play in UK election
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TONY Blair is to play a key role in Labour's election campaign with a brief to target David Cameron's "failure" to modernise the UK Tories.
The high-risk strategy will see the former prime minister make a series of carefully timed interventions in the run-up to polling day, expected on May 6.
Senior Labour sources last night confirmed that Gordon Brown had sealed a new pact with his predecessor to bring him on board. "Tony's absolutely up for it," a close friend of Mr Blair said.
News of Mr Blair's frontline political return comes ahead of this week's budget in which Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will aim a series of targeted measures at key groups of voters, including motorists and young people struggling to find a job.
Meanwhile, Mr Cameron yesterday committed the Tories to imposing a new tax on banks as both main British political parties battled to convince voters they would claw back billions of pounds from the financial sector.
The opposition leader said the US-style levy championed by Barack Obama was needed to ensure taxpayers were repaid for the bailout of financial institutions and protected from future collapses. His pledge came amid renewed confidence of international backing for such a levy.
Mr Darling is expected to use the budget to signal the British government's support for a similar global bank tax, although only as part of an international agreement.
© Telegraph
- MELISSA KITE in London
Originally published in
