Anti-war party Respect has urged voters to punish Tony Blair at the polls for the invasion of Iraq.

Paddy O'Keeffe, launching his election campaign for the marginal seat of Hove and Portslade, said: "Any vote for Labour will be cited by Blair as a vote for the war.

"Labour is the war party and we are anti-war, anti-Blair and anti-privatisation.

"We are in favour of social justice, increasing investment in publicly owned services and building more affordable housing."

Labour candidate Celia Barlow said she had not supported the war but added: "Real progress has been made in Iraq and many ordinary people there rely on us for security and assistance so let us support the Iraqi people and our troops."

Conservative candidate Nicholas Boles, who supported the war despite reservations about the way it was conducted, said: "It's a good thing that we got rid of Saddam Hussein. We should get the troops home as quickly as we can."

Liberal Democrat candidate Paul Elgood said: "The Lib Dems spoke for the nation in Parliament over concerns over the Iraq war and British troops should be brought home as quickly as possible."

Green candidate Anthea Ballam said it was her opposition to the war that prompted her to stand in the election, adding: "We are totally against the war and have been from the beginning. Britain should never have gone in and we should not be there."

Monday, April 18