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The Labour Party may call the Conservatives liars, but the Tories are not allowed to suggest that Tony Blair is "sinister and dishonest", the Advertising Standards Authority ruled yesterday. In its second controversial judgment in a month, it dismissed complaints against Labour's advertising slogan, "Same old Tories, same old lies".

Seven individual Tory supporters had complained that the posters, a response to the Tory "New Labour, New Danger" Danger campaign, were offensive. Last month Tory Central Office was ordered not to repeat its advertisement showing the Labour leader with "demonic" eyes. Political advertising is exempt from the ASA code on "factual accuracy and truthful presentation", but is still covered by provisions of "taste and decency" and privacy, the latter being the basis on which the Tories' advertisement was banned.