Lib Dem HQ staff have congratulated party activists on their efforts to rig internet election polls.

At a Liberal Democrats Online fringe meeting party staffers thanked local activists for "unofficial" attempts to fix polls run by various media organisations during the last election campaign.

The revelation follows Tory accusations of e-election dirty tricks and will reinforce the Lib Dems' reputation for no-holds-barred campaign techniques.

Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Ed Davey said that despite expectations 2001 was "not a huge internet election" because the outcome - a Labour victory - had been boring and predictable.

He noted that one the most popular internet activities during the election period were internet games such as "splat the politician".

Indicating his party's "Machiavellian" approach to the internet, Davey said if Charles Kennedy or other Lib Dem leaders were not included in the games, activists should invent their own and circulate them on the world-wide-web.

His own election website, hailed as a model for other candidates, had been important in helping his campaign, he said.

The key message had been the simple display of "57", his majority at the 1997 general election. He said he didn't think his website had contributed thousands of votes, but he was "pretty sure it contributed hundreds of votes".