A MAN standing against Blackburn MP Jack Straw has offered bed and board to volunteers to give his election campaign the 'X' factor.

Craig Murray -- who was controversially ousted as British Ambassador to Uzbekistan -- is using his £320,000 pay-off from the Foreign Office to fund a "massive" campaign to overthrow Mr Straw.

Mr Murray, 46, was made redundant last year after being accused of gross misconduct.

And in a two-year battle with his employers he alleged Britain was using information obtained from torture to imprison people indefinitely.

In turn, he was branded a drunk and accused of trading visas for sex with women. He was told to resign or be sacked.

He plans to stand in the general election as an Independent 'anti-torture' candidate.

And he said he will rent a big house in Blackburn to accommodate anybody willing to travel to the area to help him canvass.

Mr Murray said defeating Jack Straw would send a clear message to Prime Minister Tony Blair that voters did not support the war in Iraq, adding that he wanted to expose the lies at the heart of the "war on terror."

He said: "As Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw has done some pretty dreadful things.

"He was in charge of M16 when it produced the dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be a load of lies, and he took us into the war in Iraq, which was illegal.

It seems to me there is a view in Blackburn that Jack Straw might be doing these things in Whitehall but here he's a good lad and somehow not the same man.

"I want to bring the fact that he's done these things to the attention of voters in Blackburn.

"I want to dispel the idea that they have their own Jack Straw who is good and who supports Rovers and there is another evil Jack Straw who is friends with George Bush."

Mr Murray admits he does not understand issues affecting Blackburn as he lives in West Kensington, London, but said he was keen to learn and if successful will devote all his time to the constituency.

But despite his efforts, he is under no illusions of his chances in winning the Blackburn seat.

He said: "My chances are next to none. I'm aware Independents rarely win in general elections but I think it is a possibility that there might be enough interest to make Jack lose."

Mr Straw, who has denied that claims made by Mr Murray, said: "Any British citizen is entitled to stand."