ROBIN COOK, the biggest critic of the Iraq war, has been recalled by Labour for its election campaign which will be announced tomorrow.

The former foreign secretary will be given party resources to travel the country urging supporters to vote Labour even if they did not agree with Tony Blair’s decision to go to war.

In what has been whimsically dubbed Operation Hairy Leftie, Cook and David Blunkett, the former home secretary, will undertake tours to woo disenchanted Labour sympathisers and encourage them not to stay at home on election day.

The decision to invite Cook back will surprise some ministers, who have been irritated by the former foreign secretary’s regular badgering of the government over Iraq.

Cook resigned on the eve of the war in March 2003 saying that he did not believe there were any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, something that has proved to be the case.

However, in his resignation speech Cook made a point of saying that he hoped Blair would be re-elected for a third term. He has avoided attacking the prime minister personally although in his memoirs, Point of Departure, he claimed that Blair had conceded two weeks before the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein did not have usable weapons of mass destruction.

Cook has also been one of the sternest interrogators of the government during the rows over the Hutton inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly, the government scientist, and the Butler report on the use of intelligence before the war.

In recent months Cook has patched up a long feud with Gordon Brown and is said by Brownites to be a sure bet for a return to the cabinet should the chancellor succeed Blair. Cook is one senior Labour figure who would be well placed to run as deputy leader if John Prescott stands aside after the election.

Cook said last night: “Everybody knows of my opposition to the Iraq war and I don’t take away a single word of criticism. But I would regard it as a crass injustice if the Conservatives were to benefit from the public dissatisfaction over Iraq. I have seen the many benefits of a Labour government to my own constituents and I don’t want them to pay the price for the intervention in Iraq.”

In some constituencies Blair will not feature in election publicity for fear of stoking resentment over the war.

The phoney “pre-election” campaign comes to an end tomorrow when Blair is expected to announce that the country will go to the polls on May 5.

Downing Street has been in close discussions with Buckingham Palace about the arrangements. The Queen will return from Windsor Castle early tomorrow to be ready for Blair, probably at about 10am.

After announcing the date, Blair is expected to visit a school or hospital in London as Labour kicks off a week that will focus on the economy.

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