Blair is only hope for Labour: poll

London, Sept 6 (PTI) Former British Prime Minister Tony
Blair is the only leader who could transform Labour's
prospects and give a glimmer of hope to the party to return to
power for the fourth time, a poll revealed on Saturday.

Blair would cut the Conservative Party's projected
majority of 182 to just 20 seats -- enough to raise Labour's
hopes of preventing Conservative leader David Cameron becoming
premier, according to a ComRes survey for The Independent.

None of the cabinet ministers currently touted as
possible successors to P.M. Gordon Brown, including Foreign
Secretary David Miliband and Justice Secretary Jack Straw,
would improve the party's standing, the poll suggested.

The new poll claimed the Conservative lead would be
slashed if Blair returned to take over the Labour leadership
from Gordon Brown.

The poll put the Conservatives on 44 percent, down two
points, Labour on 25 percent, up one point, and the Liberal
Democrats down one point on 17 percent.

If Blair returned the Conservatives lead would drop to 10
points, giving them a projected Commons majority of just 20
rather than 182.

With David Miliband or Jack Straw in charge, Labour would
stay on 25 percent. But if cabinet ministers Alan Johnson,
Harriet Harman or Ed Balls led the party, its standing would
drop still further, the poll said.

According to the poll, Brown is slightly less popular
than his party; 20 percent of people say they like Labour but
not him, while 8 percent like him but not the party.

When Brown took over from Blair in June 2007, Labour
performed well in opinion polls but within months the party
found itself trailing the Conservatives and surveys since have
consistently put the centre-right party well ahead.