The Democrats in America do not know what to make of Tony Blair because of his alliance with President Bush, a former presidential candidate said yesterday.

Howard Dean, in Britain for a brief visit, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We don't know what to make of Tony Blair on the Democratic side. He was a strong friend of President Clinton, now he is an ally with President Bush, from a Democratic point of view the least popular president in my lifetime. We are more comfortable with where the British people are than we are with the prime minister."

Martin Salter, MP for Reading West, is organising Labour support for John Kerry.

"Notwithstanding the fact that any British prime minister should maintain a close working relationship with whoever occupies the White House, in the view of some of us it is important that the historical links between the Democratic Party and the Labour Party are more than mere words," he said.