Prime Minister Tony Blair has made a last-ditch appeal for votes in Brighton and Hove - claiming all three of the city's Parliamentary seats hang in the balance.

Speaking exclusively to The Argus only four days before the General Election, he warned that people who stayed at home or voted for smaller parties could easily end up with Conservative MPs they did not want.

He said: "If people want a strong economy and a strong health service they have got to vote for it."

Mr Blair revealed his fears about the frailty of Labour's domination in the city's three constituencies after a party rally in Hove Town Hall yesterday.

In Brighton Pavilion David Lepper won 48.7 per cent of the vote in 2001 - a 9,643 majority.

But retiring MP Ivor Caplin's majority in Hove is only 3,171 while Des Turner edged Brighton Kemptown by 4,922 votes.

Dr Turner and Mr Lepper are standing for re-election while Celia Barlow is bidding to replace Mr Caplin as Labour's MP in Hove.

Mr Blair accepted many people remained dissatisfied with the state of public services despite Labour's extra investment.

But he predicted that some people would always be disgruntled. He said: "You can't get perfection but what you can get is improvement.

"I think if people look at the services they will see the extra investment.

"The choice between the Conservative economic plan and ours could not be clearer.

"The Conservatives can't promise to invest the same amount of money as us in public services as well as promising tax cuts."

The Prime Minister told The Argus he was sympathetic to Brighton and Hove Albion's Falmer stadium plan and felt they had a "strong case".

But he declined to offer any hints as to which countries might be the next targets for regime change if he was reelected.

Earlier Mr Blair addressed more than 800 supporters in his second visit to the city in as many months. He was joined by comedienne Jo Brand and actress Michelle Collins.

In his speech he slammed Tory policies to subsidise private hospital operations and school places as "unfair and elitist" and criticised the Liberal Democrats for avoiding tough decisions.

The Prime Minister also promised action to help young people and couples get on the housing ladder.

He said: "In a third Labour term there would be more shared equity schemes, we would release land for development and give key workers the chance to own their own homes.

We will put £1 billion per year into affordable housing."

Mr Blair accused his rivals Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy of "an absence of leadership". He told Labour activists that, while he accepted that some of them had disagreed with his stance on Iraq, tuition fees and foundation hospitals, he had shown that he had the toughness needed to take firm decisions on difficult issues.

Revving up party workers, he told them: "Make the case and make the argument and make sure that Celia, Des and David and the rest are returned to Parliament so we return with a Labour government to continue the progress in this country."

A small group of protesters from the anti-war Respect coalition and the Greens gathered outside Hove Town Hall, chanting "Tony Blair, terrorist" and "Blair lies, thousands die". But Mr Blair avoided them using the back door.

May 2, 2005