Kennedy: warning

Charles Kennedy has warned his political rivals against exaggerating the risks posed by the BNP at this week's local elections.

He said that senior Labour figures were giving dangerous and unnecessary PR to the extreme-right party. The BNP, he said, was fielding fewer than 70 candidates in Thursday's poll.

"I am critical of David Blunkett as home secretary, Charles Clarke as chairman of the Labour Party in the way in which they have almost talked this issue up. At the end of the day this is a minuscule as well as a malign political element in the body politic," he said.

"They are not going to get anywhere, they don't reflect British opinion any more for a moment than I think Le Pen reflects mainstream French opinion."

His comments followed a week dominated by the race issue after the shock presidential poll result in France last weekend.

On Friday the prime minister urged voters to back any party - including the Tories or Lib Dems - rather than vote for the BNP.

Speaking in Blackburn, Tony Blair said that while he hoped voters would choose the Labour Party, he would prefer that they voted for any mainstream party before extremists.

The BNP is fielding 68 candidates for the May 2 poll. Thirteen of the party's candidates are standing in Burnley, the scene of race riots last summer.

"We all hope that people come out and support the Labour Party but what I'm saying is that it is important for people to vote, but it is important that people don't vote for parties of extremism that make all the problems worse," said Blair.

"People have to think very carefully before they go out and vote. I hope they do go out and vote, I hope they vote Labour, but I hope also they vote for mainstream parties.

"The only impact of electing extremists in any area, quite apart from the impact on house prices and businesses, would be to heighten insecurity in that area."