SWEET-toothed voters are favouring John Major...beer drinkers prefer Tony Blair.

The Labour leader may have shaken off the party's beer and sandwiches image, but he is still proving a hit with bitter drinkers around Bolton.

Bottles of Tony's Tipple are selling faster than rival beers, Major's Mild and Ashdown's Ale, in a national "drink for democracy" poll.

But the Prime Minister is obviously better at sweet-talking Bolton's chocaholics.

The local branch of Thornton's report that John Major lollypops are polling marginally higher sales than the Tony, Paddy or Sutch rival chocolate novelties.

"I'm not sure if it's because they like him or whether they want to bite his head off," said manager Joan Blackley.

In the the Labour heartland of Farnworth, the town's Asda store reports that sales of Tony's Tipple are soaring ahead.

But in marginal Astley Bridge, shoppers are reflecting the voting habits of the last general election.

Major's Mild is nosing ahead but staff are predicting the final result will be as close as 1992 when the Tories won Bolton North East by less than 200 votes.

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