A COUPLE who live in Tony Blair's backyard delivered their own second triumph on the day he was re-elected Prime Minister.

Just as Mr Blair was confirmed as premier for a second term in the early hours of Friday morning, Anthea Cook was going into a Labour of a different kind as she gave birth to baby Ethan James.

Anthea and husband Craig's first child, Megan Eve, was born on May 2, 1997, the day Mr Blair came to power the first time.

Even more remarkably, the couple live in Rothbury Close, Trimdon Grange, County Durham, within pram-pushing distance of Mr Blair's constituency home.

Craig, 29, thought little about the coincidence when Megan, now aged four, arrived on the historic day Mr Blair scored his first landslide victory.

And the lifelong Labour voter also failed to realise that the same thing was about to happen again when Anthea, also 29, was scheduled to have a Caesarean section in the University Hospital of North Durham on Friday - only hours after Craig had cast his vote for Mr Blair.

He said: "We didn't realise the coincidence until nearer the time. They only do one Caesarean a day at the hospital, so it was just the luck of the draw.

"It's absolutely amazing, I couldn't believe it."

Craig has already spoken to Mr Blair's office to tell them the remarkable news, and the Prime Minister's aides have promised to send the Cook family a card to congratulate them.