Tony Blair has defended Labour's election strategy in the wake of a stinging attack on Michael Howard.

The stout defence of Labour's approach came as the party prepared to screen a three minute election broadcast focussing on the Tory leader's record in government.

In what appears to be a change of strategy, Labour's high command will detail Howard's years in government, to the soundtrack of Mick Hucknall's "If you don't know me by know".

Labour has also launched a new US-style negative press campaign, which has been slammed by MPs.

In a full page advertisement in the Times, Labour details Howard's employment history with a mock CV - rounding off with his referees Baroness Thatcher and John Major.

Tonight's broadcast will link Howard to unpopular Tory policies such as the council tax and Black Wednesday.

Personal

But speaking at the launch of Labour's European campaign, the prime minister denied he was getting personal.

"We are perfectly entitled to point out that he was the minister who told the British people that the poll tax was a good idea," he said.

"That when he was employment minister he put up unemployment by a million. That when he was home secretary the number of asylum seekers went up and he cut the number of police.

"And that he was a member and leading supporter of the previous government.

"I don't think that is a personal attack I think that is a political attack."

Unease

The push comes amid growing Labour unease at the Tories' performance since Howard secured the party leadership.

It also follows a weekend poll which claimed that Blair cannot secure an overall majority at the next general election.

The YouGov poll, conducted for the Mail on Sunday, finds that the Tories would poll 40 per cent - four points ahead of Labour - if the prime minister fights the next election.

That would translate into a hung parliament and could effectively end both the prime minister's career and Labour's period in
government.

Some 60 per cent of voters polled said Blair was doing "badly" as prime minister.

Time to go?

The poll came as Lord Puttnam, the Labour peer and film-maker, called on the prime minister to stand aside.

"The prime minister is synonymous with Iraq, and Iraq will only deliver bad news," he said.

"Tony Blair's legacy will be what happens in Iraq five years on from now.

"There will be no good news for the next 12, 15, 18 months."

But leading Blairites have dismissed the latest speculation about the prime minister's future.

Former minister Stephen Byers said Blair was "a huge asset to both the Labour Party and the country".

"A lot of people know that Tony Blair has taken on a lot of difficult decisions as prime minister, they still have confidence in him," he said on Saturday.