LONDON, May 5, 2005
Iraq Overshadows Brit Elections
Blair's Party Expected To Win, But Not By As Much As In 1997, 2001
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Play CBS Video Video Britons Hit The Polls The Brits are at the polls and, if the pundits are right, Tony Blair will be heading for a third term. But the prime minister has faced a lot of criticism over Iraq. Mark Phillips reports from London.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair on his way to vote in the village of Trimdon, Sedgefield (AP)
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A British military veteran leaves a polling station after he voted in Chelsea, London (AP)
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Although Blair's Labour Party is expected to win the election, anti-war sentiment could keep him from securing the landslide victories he won in 1997 and 2001.
Meanwhile, New York police say two toy grenades, altered to explode with gunpowder, blew up at 3:50 a.m. local time outside the British Consulate in midtown Manhattan. No injuries or claims of responsibility were reported; there was slight damage to the building.
"The fact that the explosion happened today is seen as significant," reports CBS News Correspondent Steve Holt in London. "In discussing times that Britain might be vulnerable to terrorist attack, police officials here have singled out today's general election" as one of those times.
Few expect Blair's main rival, Conservative Party leader Michael Howard to become prime minister, but the Tories could pare back the number of seats Labour holds in the House of Commons. Blair's party had a huge 161-seat majority in the outgoing legislature; the new house will have 646 members.
If Labour's majority shrinks significantly, it could badly damage Blair, who would wield less power than in his first two terms and lose standing within his party.
©MMV CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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