TONY BLAIR was today accused of following Conservative ideals by one of his own Euro MPs.

East Lancashire MEP Mike Hindley also predicted the break-up of the Labour Party before the next election.

In a stinging attack, the left-wing MEP who represents Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Rossendale, blamed the Prime Minister for alienating traditional Labour Party members by pushing the party too far to the right.

But a Labour Party spokesman has accused Mr Hindley of suffering from delusions and invited him to leave the party if he felt so strongly.

In his outburst Mr Hindley said: "What we have in all but name is a Conservative government."

"I have no illusions about Tony Blair - I think he is a Tory - and the enactment of Tory policies under a Labour government is no surprise. It is as bad as I thought it would be." He added: "There is a split in that the leadership is a thousand miles off the traditional sentiments of the Labour Party. Blair is determined to break the old consensus. I'm not confident that the Labour Party, as it is now, will be around at the next election. Either Blair will go or the party will go.

"The party is in a process of dissolving and the active ingredient is Blair himself."

The Great Harwood-based MEP was speaking after Press reports said six left-wing MEPs were thinking of standing as independent Labour candidates in the next Euro elections in 1999.

Mr Hindley, who has already said he will not fight the next Euro elections, said he was not one of the six.

"I've no intention of standing as an independent," he said. "I've decided not to stand again because I've had 15 years of commuting and that's enough."

However, he has not ruled himself out of taking an active part in politics after standing down as a Euro MP.

A spokesman at Labour Party headquarters in London said Mr Hindley was out of touch with the sentiments of party members.

He said: "The vast majority of party members back our manifesto. It is Mr Hindley that is out of touch with party members."

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