WINNING Blaenau Gwent will be a "real challenge" after years of it being one of Labour's safest seats, a former senior minister said yesterday.

On a campaign visit to Tredegar, former home secretary David Blunkett stopped short of admitting the constituency is now a key marginal, but did say "the Labour party faces a real challenge in Blaenau Gwent since Peter Law decided to stand".

Mr Blunkett said the Blaenau Gwent AM's decision to stand has reduced the race to a "popularity contest" and urged him to stand aside.

Mr Law, a former Labour politician for more than 35 years and who recently had an operation to remove a brain tumour, launched a campaign for the seat against his former party in protest at the policy of all-women shortlists which was used to select the Labour parliamentary candidate. The shortlist is designed to see a fairer gender balance in the House of Commons, but was opposed by a number of people in the local Labour party.

None of the party officials present during Mr Blunkett's visit could admit to remembering the last time a major national party figure had visited this constituency during a general election - but in the past it wasn't necessary.

Previous MP Llew Smith won by a majority of around 19,000 votes in the 2001 contest, and the constituency was the seat of former Labour leader Michael Foot.

But Mr Blunkett admitted: "It's only right that we are honest about the challenge we face in Blaenau Gwent now. Peter is a popular man but I'm very sad he has chosen to turn the Blaenau Gwent election into a popularity contest - he should stand by the official Labour candidate, Maggie Jones.

"I'm here because the Labour party knows we have a challenge here, but that doesn't mean I believe he is going to win.

"Peter needs to accept that returning a Labour member of Parliament to work with a Labour government is the only way we can continue to improve the quality of life for the people of Blaenau Gwent.

"He should now do the big thing and stand aside. Maggie Jones has worked and fought against poverty and for the rights of workers for more than 20 years."

The other candidates in Blaenau Gwent are: Dr Phillip James Lee, Conservative; Peter Hugh Osborne, UK Independence Party; Norman John Price, Plaid Cymru; Brian Thomas, Liberal Democrat.