THE BRITISH Prime Minister, Mr John Major, was attacked by the Labour Party yesterday as a weak leader" who had "dithered and drifted". The latest outburst of adversarial politics came after the Tory leadership called for the sleaze issue to be laid to rest and publicly abandoned attempts to oust Mr Neil Hamilton, the MP at the centre of the cash for questions row.
Although the Labour leader, Mr Tony Blair, agreed that the sleaze issue "hurts this election" and insisted he did not want to fight a negative campaign, his colleagues predicted that the row would continue to haunt the Tories.
Launching a new poster campaign, Mr Blair said he believed the electorate was fed up with the endless negative issues. "They don't want exaggerations and lies about other parties. What they want to know is what will we do for them. That is what our campaign will be about," he said.
However, Labour's deputy leader, Mr John Prescott, said the events of the past fortnight proved Mr Major's lack of leadership because he did not have the authority to force Tory MPs to resign following accusations of sleaze.
"It's a story of drift, dither and total failure to achieve his objectives. Mr Major is weak, weak, weak," Mr Prescott said.
Labour's election strategist, Mr Peter Mandelson, repeated his warning that the "sleaze" issue would dog the Tories as long as Mr Hamilton remained.
Despite a weekend of unprecedented pressure to persuade Mr Hamilton to resign, the Tory leadership acknowledged yesterday that it could do no more and the state of the MP for Tatton in Cekhiie had to be decided by the local association.
"We are not climbing down. Ultimately the question of whether an MP should stand down is up to the local associations and we always respect their views on these matters," said one Tory source.
Instead, senior Tories publicly called for the election campaign to move forward and concentrate on policy issues rather than sleaze.
The former foreign secretary, Mr Douglas Hurd, suggested it was now time for the "amusement arcade to close down".
"Private lives are for individuals to sort out. Accusations of parliamentary abuse must be rigourously sifted by the procedures laid down. Neither should be at the heart of the election," Mr Hurd said.
"Roughly every five years the British people have the chance to choose their government. They are entitled from today to four weeks of serious debate on the sort of Britain they want."
Mr Hurd's call was echoed by Dame Jill Knight, a member of the executive of the 1922 backbenchers' committee, who argued the electorate was more concerned about policy issues than which MP was having an affair.
"We have a far better story to tell in the long run. Mr Jones in the High Street is far more interested in the economy and education for his children than who is having an affair. We are not going to fly in the face of British justice and say a man is guilty because allegations have been made against him," she said.
However, privately, senior Tories have also criticised Mr Major for failing to agree a consistent policy for MPs tarnished by sleaze allegations. One Tory MP described the party's treatment of Mr Hamilton and Mr Piers Merchant, who had an alleged affair with a 17 year old nightclub hostess, as "shambolic" while another said: "It is an appalling situation."
As Mr Hamilton's profile continued to be embarrassingly high, the anti European Union UK Independence Party announced it would field a candidate in Tatton.
The UKIP, which favours withdrawal from the EU and the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Britain's continental partners, denies it is being opportunistic in the wake of the withdrawal of the Labour candidate to allow an independent anti corruption candidate a clear run. Labour pulled out of the race on Saturday.
The Liberal Democrats said the plan was worth considering, although the only other party fighting the seat, the Natural Law Party, refused.
A former Tory councillor, Mr Ralph Nicholas, a local man from Sale in Cheshire, will stand for the UK Independence Party.