Blair attacks 'flawed' Tory plans

Mr Blair and Mr Brown talk about teamwork in an election broadcast

Conservative plans for the economy are "fundamentally flawed" and the party's pledges cannot therefore be delivered, Labour leader Tony Blair has claimed.

Launching his six-point pledge card on the economy, Mr Blair said the Tory plans "made no economic sense at all".

Gordon Brown said Oliver Letwin's first budget would bring back boom and bust. Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy said the plans were "fantasy economics".

Tory leader Michael Howard denied the party had got its maths wrong.

Labour focused its attack on the Tory plans ahead of the party's first campaign rally, featuring Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Sir Alex Ferguson joined the Labour rally in Oldham

At the event in Oldham, Mr Blair said the Tory manifesto was not just "threadbare" but was based on fear rather than hope.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson also attended the rally, urging people: "Please vote".

He added: "We cannot forget what we have achieved over the last eight years and we can only lose it by being complacent."

As Mr Blair left, protesters from Fathers 4 Justice threw eggs at his car. Two people were arrested after the incident.

Earlier, Mr Blair accused the Tories of publishing a "fraudulent prospectus" and said they had £15bn "uncosted spending commitments" they could not possibly fulfil.

It was impossible to spend more, tax less and borrow less simultaneously, he said.

"How do you square this economic circle? It's economic nonsense."

'Desperate smears'

Labour's general election co-ordinator Alan Milburn said the Tory manifesto would be seen as the "shortest suicide note in history".

Labour's six pledges 2% interest rates target 1m more homeowners 1m more on New Deal 300,000 new apprenticeships Minimum wage rises to £5.35 ph Education spending rises to £5,500 per pupil Fact check: Tory budgets

"At the same time as planning to cut £35bn from Labour's public spending plans, the Conservative manifesto makes billions of pounds of additional spending commitments - spending commitments they simply cannot afford.

This was why the Tory plan was "full of holes" and a "disaster waiting to happen", he added.

Shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said Labour's claim the Tories had £15bn worth of uncosted spending commitments were "truly desperate smears".

"Some of the allegations relate to spending commitments which we have made and are fully costed and funded within our published spending plans. Others are quite simply untrue."

It was Labour whose spending plans were a "complete mess", he said.

HAVE YOUR SAY The decision should rest on which party can be believed to fulfil its manifesto promises and not switch policy once elected Roger Cope, Burton-upon-Trent Send us your comments

"Four months ago they said our expansion of residential drug rehabilitation places would cost £220m. Now they have increased that figure to more than £1.2bn.

"These are false claims by a party that specialises in dodgy facts. It shows just how rattled Mr Blair has become."

But the Lib Dems published an analysis saying only £13.3bn of the Tory saving plans were new - and £8.2bn of those were "unachievable".

Labour's first election broadcast was aired on Monday, showing Mr Blair and Mr Brown talking politics.