Blair to delay general election

Some fear delaying the election date could harm Britain's image

LONDON, England -- UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to delay the country's general election because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

The virus, which the government said on Saturday it was winning the fight against, has devastated the countryside and is threatening the tourism industry which is currently estimated to be losing millions of pounds a week.

Blair, who has been under pressure to concentrate on fighting the disease, was widely predicted to choose May 3 but is now expected to delay the poll until at least June, political sources said.

On Sunday, as the number of confirmed outbreaks in the UK nudged 900, the virus claimed its latest victim -- the Cheltenham Festival.

The highlight of the UK jump racing season was cancelled after officials confirmed that it was within a foot-and-mouth exclusion zone.

The prestigious meeting had already been rearranged from mid-March because of the livestock movement restrictions, but was once again doomed after a new case of the disease was discovered five miles from the track.

There has been no official announcement from Downing Street about the date of either the general election or local polls but a spokesman did say Blair was listening to people's concerns and "he will act in the best interest of the whole country."

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said on Sunday: "I can well understand why (Blair) may well come to the view that we need some more time to make sure we have got in place the methods, the mechanisms, the resources to cope with the foot-and-mouth outbreak before we go to the country.

"In any election you would want everybody to have the opportunity to vote otherwise it would not be the fair election we want - and we want a fair contest in which we are quite confident we can put our message across strongly."

Changing the date for local elections will require legislation in parliament. But Blair can wait until as late as May 2002 to call a general election.

The UK Government believes it is beginning to win its battle against foot-and-mouth disease despite the continued rise in the number of outbreaks, which now stand at 875.

In Ireland, a livestock cull has been extended in an attempt to confine foot-and-mouth disease to the area in the northeast of the country where one case has been confirmed.

The Department of Agriculture said it plans to slaughter all animals on the Cooley Peninsula, with 15,000 sheep and cattle are expected to be culled.

Around 24,000 animals have already been slaughtered on the peninsula.

In Germany, follow-up tests on two piglets that were found dead and suspected of having the foot-and-mouth showed they did not have the illness, an official said on Sunday.

The piglets had been imported before February 1 from the Netherlands -- where 11 cases of the disease have been reported since Britain was swept by the epidemic.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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UK's Blair on foot-and-mouth crisis
New animal virus scares hit Ireland
UK debates virus vaccination
British tourist industry counts foot-and-mouth cost

Foot-and-Mouth disease
UK Ministry of Agriculture
England Tourist-Boards Directory

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