SPECULATION that Prime Minister Tony Blair could face opposition from a celebrity candidate in the next General Election will not sway voters, his agent said last night.

John Burton believes residents in the Sedgefield constituency will pay little attention to efforts to find a famous anti-war demonstrator to stand against him in his North-East power base.

Senior figures from the Welsh party, Plaid Cymru, are said to be plotting the move and are in talks to find a famous face to line up against Mr Blair.

Adam Price, MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, said two people, whose identities remain a secret, are seriously considering the move.

He hopes they can convince former Blair supporters who have lost faith because of the Gulf War and the recent ban on hunting to switch allegiance.

He said: "The critical thing is to find a candidate who is a national figure who encapsulates in their personality the message about trust and the need to restore public confidence in the political process."

Mr Price is also running a campaign, backed by celebrities such as Roxy Music star Brian Eno, calling for parliament to impeach the Prime Minister over the way Britain went to war in Iraq.

Mr Burton said: "The people of Sedgefield take their politics very seriously and know what the Labour Government has done for them and the country.

"The present Government has improved health and hospitals, schools have improved beyond recognition and unemployment is at the lowest level for years.

"People in Sedgefield appreciate that they have Tony Blair as their MP and they are much better off with the Prime Minister representing them.

"The trouble with candidates standing to make a point is if selected they often find once in post they do nothing."

The threat from Plaid Cymru is not the first of its kind.

In January, former Benny Hill angel Cherri Gilham, 60, announced her intention to fight Mr Blair for his seat, saying she felt powerless in her opposition to the war in Iraq.