Blair Wins 3rd Term Despite Iraq

Tony Blair won a historic third term as British Prime Minister as the Labour Party won re-election, although with a slimmer majority in the House of Commons - lost seats blamed on voter anger over the war in Iraq.

With 594 of the 646 House of Commons seats counted, official results showed 343 seats won by Labour, enough to form a government, 183 went to the Conservatives, 56 went to the Liberal Democrats the only major party to oppose the Iraq war and 12 to other smaller parties.

"I think we can be really proud of what we have achieved," said Blair, met with cheers and applause as he arrived at a victory party in London.

Conservative opposition leader Michael Howard offered the prime minister his congratulations but said Blair must do more to deliver better health care and lower crime for Britons.

"The time has now come for action and not talk from him," said Howard.

George Galloway, a fiercely anti-war lawmaker who was expelled from the Labour Party won re-election to Parliament as an anti-war candidate, proclaiming in an angry acceptance speech: "Mr. Blair, this is for Iraq."

"All the people you killed, all the lies you told, have come back to haunt you," said Galloway, a veteran legislator who was kicked out of the Labour Party after urging British soldiers not to fight in Iraq.

Galloway defeated Blair loyalist Oona King in an east London district, running as a representative of the Respect party, which he founded to oppose the Iraq war.

As he gave his victory speech early Friday, Blair - bruised by opposition claims that he lied about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction - acknowledged anger over the war.

"I know, too, that Iraq has been a divisive issue in this country but I hope now that we can unite again and look to the future there and here," said Blair, who was easily re-elected to his parliamentary seat in Sedgefield, despite a challenge from the father of a British soldier killed in the Iraq war.

"It seems as if it is clear," said Blair, "that the British people wanted the return of a Labour government but with a reduced majority. And we have to respond to that sensibly and wisely and responsibly."

The outcome could set the stage for Blair to be replaced in midterm by a party rival such as Treasury chief Gordon Brown, who many give credit for the nation's strong economy.

The BBC is projecting that Labour will win 79 more seats than all the other parties combined - down from its 161-seat margin in the outgoing House of Commons.

With a much smaller majority, Blair could face difficulties controlling a faction of his party deeply disillusioned with his leadership, especially over Iraq.

"One of the conclusions of this is that he (Blair) certainly does not have a mandate to launch another war along with George Bush," said Robin Cook, who resigned from Blair's Cabinet in protest to the war.

Clare Short, who also quit Blair's Cabinet over the war, said Blair had proved a liability.

"I think everyone agrees we would have done better with a different leader," Short said.

While Blair apparently was diminished in victory, Howard gained stature as his party lost a third straight election but at least showed some signs of life.

Blair benefited from the Conservatives' even greater unpopularity and a perception that the opposition is less capable of handling the economy.

During the campaign, the left-leaning Guardian newspaper offered free clothespins to any reader who requested one after a columnist urged reluctant Labour supporters to put aside opposition to the Iraq war and back the party for its domestic policies.

Democratic Party volunteers from the United States joined Blair's campaign, including former President Clinton, who endorsed Blair in a speech delivered by satellite to a rally in London last month.

Republicans - traditional allies of British Conservatives - were not much in evidence, apparently encouraged to sit this one out in deference to President Bush's alliance with Blair. Mr. Bush did not specifically endorse Blair, described by a White House spokesman as "a good friend of the president and a strong ally in the war on terrorism."

In New York early Thursday, two small makeshift grenades exploded outside the British Consulate. The blast caused minor damage and no injuries but nonetheless sent a shiver through post-Sept. 11 New York, as police fanned out on the streets and in the air, securing the area. Police have not yet determined who was behind the explosion or whether its target was the Consulate, which is in a building that is also home to a number of stores.