Voters are more concerned with the economy and the future of the National Health Service than they are about the invasion of Iraq, Labour insisted today.

In a characteristically robust performance on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dr John Reid, the Health Secretary, was pressed by presenter John Humphrys on how the handling of the case for war had angered some Labour voters.

But he said that only one in ten voters saw Iraq as the most important issue in the election and "90-odd per cent" of people saw the country's finances and healthcare as the deciding factors.

Mr Reid said: "The most important issue to people...is not actually Iraq. Less than 10 percent say that is the most important.

"The biggest issues by far are the economy, the NHS, immigration, law and order and about less than 10 percent Iraq."

Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are trying to make voter trust in the Prime Minister a key issue in the May 5 election, Michael Howard yesterday repeatedly referring to the "smirking politics" of Tony Blair.

Mr Blair, aware that he has a battle to convince Labour voters still seething over the Iraq war, sent out an e-mail to acknowledge that they did not agree with every decision he had made. He said that the future of the country was "in our hands" and that he needed their help "now more than ever."

Mr Reid told BBC Radio’s Today programme that people whose vote would be decided by the war were atypical, although not insignificant.

Mr Reid said: "Economic stability and trust and competence in our ability to run the economy is the most important factor when it comes to deciding whether or not people will vote for us."

He added: "As far as Iraq is concerned I don’t think people will agree after three or four years of discussing this issue, if they previously thought it was wrong to go into Iraq."

He said that three inquiries into the war had shown the Government did not intend to mislead people.

The latest Populus poll for The Times, published today, found that the public had become much more optimistic about the country's economic outlook since Christmas. Seventy per cent felt the economy was doing well - a rise of six points since last November.

The NHS had risen in importance as an election issue, the poll found, up 6 points since February to 56 per cent in voters' ranking of the most important policies - especially among working-class voters.

The survey found that Labour was well ahead of the Conservatives on managing the economy but the Tories had a 10-point lead on immigration and asylum - ranked fifth in importance by voters.

Mr Reid also played down concerns over fraud at the election. A judge this week said that the postal voting system was wide open to fraud after finding that six Labour councillors in Birmingham had rigged votes in a city council election there.

Mr Reid said the court case concerned just two wards in one city - and of 17,000 candidates at the last election there had been just six convictions for fraud.

"There are tough penalties already in place for electoral fraud," he said.

"Let nobody be under any doubt: There is no evidence that such fraud is widespread and there is huge evidence that postal voting has brought into participation many, many people who would not otherwise have cast their democratic mandate."

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