Blair faces party anguish over polls defeat

Blair's aides tried to put the best possible spin on the election defeat while the prime minister attended the funeral of former US President Ronald Reagan in Washington.

But more than 460 Labor officials were voted out of local government, and Blair will have to convince party members with seats in national parliament that they will not suffer the same fate in a general election likely next year.

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"I'd like to say I'm sorry to the (local) councillors who've lost their seats," Blair told reporters in Washington before heading home. "I think Iraq has been a shadow over our support."

But he said he was as determined as ever to stay on, and expected Iraq would become less of a liability as news improved with a UN-endorsed plan to restore sovereignty.