Don?t expect to see stars lining up to congratulate Prime Minister Tony Blair after the May 5 election, should he win as expected. The affair between pop idols and politicians at the start of Blair?s rule in 1997 quickly faded, while Hollywood?s failed endorsement of John Kerry in America and recent embarrassments of his own will remind Blair of the risk of courting the famous.

When Blair?s Labour Party chose the popular U2 anthem ?Beautiful Day? for its general election campaign, the Irish rockers were quick to distance themselves from him. ?It is not an endorsement of the Labour Party on U2?s part,? a spokesman for the band said. ?The group is flattered that Labour likes the tune, but they reserve their right to fall in and out with any political party and its policies.?

The case recalls Ronald Reagan?s use of Bruce Springsteen?s ?Born in the USA? for his 1984 election campaign, which prompted an angry reaction from the singer. What the Republican strategists had thought was a feel-good song was in fact the anguished outburst of an unemployed Vietnam war veteran. Commentators point out that the relationship between stars and politicians never completely breaks down.

<B>Initiatives to reduce poverty</B>

Neither love affair nor acrimonious divorce, it is more often a marriage of convenience. ?The people in that world (of entertainment) who are politically engaged do remain engaged on substantial issues,? said Sunder Katwala, general secretary of left-leaning think tank the Fabian Society. And so, while U2?s Bono may not want to be identified as a Labour supporter, he did liken Blair and finance minister Gordon Brown to the McCartney and Lennon of global development in response to Britain?s initiatives to reduce poverty in Africa. He also says he would lunch with the Devil if it meant him securing a donation for a favourite cause.

Just who is using whom is open to interpretation. When celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver went to Blair?s home last month and walked out with 220 million pounds for better school meals, it was Oliver, not Blair, who looked like the country?s most powerful person. No so simple, argues Katwala.

?What the government could say is that they have been banging on about (the quality of school food) for ages. Overnight Oliver transformed the public legitimacy and therefore has removed the restraints.? What is certain is that stars? endorsements are no ticket to election success, however powerful celebrities may be. Even with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt on his side, Kerry failed to remove George W. Bush from office.

That failure forced Michael Moore, director of a hugely successful documentary lambasting Bush for the war on Iraq, to defend Hollywood?s involvement in the election by saying that at least it prevented a Republican landslide. Unlike eight years ago, Blair does not need the stars on his side to win in May. In 1997, he ended 18 years of Conservative rule, making him a natural friend of left-leaning artists who believed he would make Britain a better place.

Among them was Damon Albarn, lead singer of pop group Blur, which with band Oasis was part of the euphoria that swept the country when Labour took power. But John Harris, a commentator on British popular music, recalls how, by 1998, Albarn was already calling Labour?s penchant for keeping celebrity company ?disgusting?. Like many stars, Albarn was also a vocal critic of Blair?s decision to take part in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

One of the last high-profile appearances the prime minister made in Britain?s music press was way back in 1998. Weekly magazine New Musical Express put his picture on its cover. Its strapline read: ?Ever get the feeling you?ve been cheated??

OPINION POLL

<B>Blair stretches election lead</B>

■ Prime Minister Tony Blair?s Labour party has opened a 6-point lead over its nearest rival during the first week of campaigning for a May 5 election, a poll showed yesterday. The ICM survey for the Guardian put Labour on 39 percent, up two points from last week when Blair named the election date.

The Conservatives lost one point to 33 percent, with the third party, the Liberal Democrats, unchanged on 21. ICM polled 1,524 adults between Sunday and Tuesday, a day before Blair unveiled the policy programme he hopes will win him a third straight term in office. Most polls suggest Blair is on course to win, but they differ over how big his majority in parliament will be. Blair suffered a big fall in his public approval ratings over his support for the Iraq war in 2003. But the ICM poll suggested Iraq would only have a small effect on election day, with only three percent of those polled saying it was their most important issue. The campaign has so far focused on domestic issues such as the economy, public spending and immigration.