Foreign Secretary David Miliband has denied that Labour would suffer a double whammy in the council and Euro elections next week because of the expenses scandal which has rocked Westminster. Mr Miliband was visiting Bristol yesterday to meet party activists and supporters ahead of next week's polls.

The Labour Party always does better in elections if there is a higher turnout of voters.

But many people are expected to shun the local and Euro elections because of their anger over MPs' expenses.

This is on top of Labour's lack of popularity in the opinion polls.

Bristol elections expert Dr Gordon Reece has predicted in the Post that the Tories would win a landslide victory if there was a General Election tomorrow.

Mr Miliband, who talked to the party faithful yesterday in Transport House, Victoria Street, said: "Anyone who tells you they know the result is over-confident or they are not telling the whole truth.

"I'm here in Bristol because I think people want to know that politicians understand the level of anger that exists.

"The message I want to get across is that every vote counts for the city council and European elections.

"I think it is very, very important that we fight apathy and extremism - these are the enemies of democracy."

He said Prime Minister Gordon Brown had promised to punish any wrongdoing over the expenses row.

Mr Miliband said: "Yes, we have got to recognise the level of anger.

"But we also have to remember the nursery classes, the minimum wage, the rights of workers, pensioners' benefits - these things did not come out of thin air, they came out of political choices."