A Shared Struggle ; British Conservatives Are Best U.S. Allies

Summary

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The British general election has left more victims than victors on the battlefield. Prime Minister Tony Blair's sharply reduced overall majority of 66 seats leaves him vulnerable to party rebellions and is already prompting pressure for him to leave office within the next few months.

The Conservative Party leader, Michael Howard, achieved a better result than opinion pollsters and pundits foresaw. The Conservatives, having gained a net 33 seats, are back within sight of forming a government in four years' time. But Mr. Howard is stepping down, partly because of age (he would be 67 at the likely time of the next elections) and partly because both wings of the Tory Party are unhappy with his negative campaigning. The Liberal Party's increase in its share of the votedid not yield the number of seats expected, and the Liberals failed to make headway against the Conservatives. The Liberal leader, Charles Kennedy, may also therefore depart before too long.

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Extract

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A Shared Struggle ; British Conservatives Are Best U.S. Allies

There is, though, another campaign victim - one whose recovery depends on Washington as much as London. That is the Anglo-American special relationship. The election campaign was dominated by attacks from...

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