LONDON, March 1: British Prime Minister Tony Blair, preparing for an election expected in May, suffered an embarrassing revolt from his ruling Labour Party on Monday when his plans to reform anti-terrorism laws just scraped through parliament.

Labour lawmakers who see the proposed laws as draconian rebelled against Blair, slashing his 159-seat majority in the elected House of Commons to just 53 on the vote. Blair has been trying to rally his party for the looming election after it was bitterly divided over his support for the Iraq war.

Analysts say Blair is on course for a third election win, but a newspaper poll last week said his once double-digit lead over the main opposition Conservative Party had been cut to just two points. -Reuters