FEARS were growing that the looming General Election would be the dirtiest since the war. Labour said a concerted campaign was underway to smear them, both the party and its leaders.

There were allegations of muckraking, stolen files and even attempts to provoke a Shadow Cabinet Minister into a street fight. The matter came to a head following a newspaper report that Kremlin files showed Labour Leader Neil Kinnock had had talks with Soviet leaders.

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