Labour campaign begins with high-flying pledges

Labour began its General Election campaign in earnest today as Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a series of 'pledges' during a whirlwind helicopter tour of England.

Mr Blair promised that the next Labour government would introduce ID cards, continue to fight crime, improve education and cut NHS waiting times to 18 weeks by 2008.

The Labour leader said he would do more to help first-time property buyers, raise the minimum wage and encourage more people to get off benefits and into work.

Apparently seeking to refute persistent rumours of a rift with Gordon Brown, Mr Blair praised the Chancellor's record and said that Labour was the only party that could be trusted to handle the economy, although he refrained from making any commitments on the level of post-election taxes.

Mr Blair also tackled the current political hot topic, saying that he would combat asylum "abuse" and illegal immigration.

As both the larger parties struggled to appear the most 'hardline' over the issue, the Liberal Democrats suggested that fresh thinking was required.

Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary Mark Oaten, said: "The two old parties are locked in a bidding war on asylum and immigration which is getting out of hand.

"The Liberal Democrats will continue to speak up for the economic benefits that migrants bring and the need for genuine asylum seekers to be made welcome. We would base immigration quotas on an independent economic assessment on the number of migrant workers, not arbitrary targets.

"On asylum, we would take the assessment system away from the Home Office, who have a track record of poor decisions and long delays, and create a new independent agency."

(GB)