THE Labour leader, Mr Tony Blair, last night ordered his party to sharpen up its act as Labour set out its campaigning strategy to take the electoral fight to the Tories.
The Shadow Cabinet, meeting in London, agreed to a coordinated offensive aimed at exploiting fears of "Tory extremism" and a fifth term of Conservative government.
In a series of linked speeches, Labour frontbenchers will push the message "You are not safe with the Tories" as they seek to home in on the government's record.
The opening shots in the campaign were fired by the deputy leader, Mr John Prescott, in a speech last night to Labour supporters in Northampton in which he accused the Prime Minister, Mr John Major, of lying to the Commons.
He has lied about crime, lied about funding for universities, lied about the economy, lied about nurses' pay. His attempt to fight back against Labour's lead in the opinion polls is based entirely on a shameless disregard for the truth," he said. "In the real world, the last 16 years have shown that Britain isn't safe under the Conservatives.
The deputy prime minister, Mr Michael Heseltine, was dismissive of the latest Labour offensive, accusing Mr Blair of "buckling under pressure in the wake of the row over Ms Harriet Harman's decision to send her son to a grammar school.
"Tony Blair has emerged from three weeks of political misjudgment and exposure rattled and in disarray. This is a man creating the conditions for a fifth period of opposition," he said.
Shadow Cabinet members at yesterday's meeting, already buoyed up by Labour's success in the Hemsworth by election, were further fortified by private polls which showed their support was holding up strongly while the Tories were slipping.
Labour romped home in the by election on 15,817, with nearly 72 per cent of the overall vote in a low 39.5 per cent turnout. Mr Jon Trickett secured a 3,875 majority over the Tories, who came second on 1,942. The Liberal Democrats trailed in third place on 1,516.
Labour also easily saw off a challenge from the embryonic Socialist Labour Party the breakaway party launched by Mr Arthur Scargill last month which came fourth with 1,193.
Labour sources said that their polling also showed they were making "serious inroads" into Tory support in south east Staffordshire - the scene of the next by election.
Tory right wingers were seen as a particular liability in winning voters affections.
"Every time Michael Portillo is on the box, its great for us and it's increasingly that way with Brian Mawhinney as well," said one senior source.
Meanwhile, Mr Major was breathing a huge sigh of relief yesterday after senior Tory MPs blocked the possibility of a challenge to his leadership before the next general election.
The decision of the executive of the backbench Tory 1922 committee to suspend the rules under which a leadership contest could take place was hailed by Dr Mawhinney, the party chairman, as an end to talk of leadership plots. "Now perhaps people will accept there isn't going to be a challenge and there never was," he said.
A Tory leadership challenge can only be produced now if Mr Major voluntarily steps down - as he did last summer, subsequently beating off a threat from Mr John Redwood.