Latest poll shows Blair's Labor Party slumps to third place

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's ruling Labor Party has slumped to third place in the opinion polls on the eve of its annual conference, according to a survey published Saturday in the News of the World, a London-based Sunday newspaper.

The poll showed that the public support for the Labor has fallen by 14 percent since the 2001 general election, representing the lowest-level for 21 years.

The Labor's rating now stood at 28 percent, a point behind the second largest opposition Liberal Democrats on 29 percent and three short of the main opposition Tories, who currently lead on 32 percent.

Less than three out of five people who voted Labor in 2001 say they would do so now and nearly one in seven (16 percent) of those who voted Labor at the last election say they will turn to the LibDems, the poll revealed.

The survey was conducted after last week's Lib Dems' conference. In the space of a week, Labor has lost eight percent and the Lib Dems have gained seven percent, showing the short-term benefits of the annual party conference season, local analysts say.

Source: Xinhua