AN astonishing 84 per cent of the nation oppose a US-British war on Iraq.

The huge No vote to a Bush-Blair military assault is revealed in a poll for the Daily Mirror and GMTV.

It is an increase on the number who opposed action before last Monday's critical report on Saddam Hussein by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix.

Two in three people also think a referendum of the entire country should be held before any decision is taken.

The survey shows that 41 per cent believe there must be no war without a fresh mandate from the United Nations.

Forty-three per cent are against action under any circumstances.

Just nine per cent approve of a go-it-alone war by the US and Britain.

The verdict will make devastating reading for the Prime Minister on the eve of his Camp David summit with President Bush - and at a time when he is stepping up his battle to persuade the nation his policy is right.

The poll, carried out by ICM Research, shows that 73 per cent of people think British involvement will make a terrorist attack here more likely. Only two per cent believe the chances of an atrocity would be lessened.

The last ICM poll had 81 per cent against a war without a further UN resolution.

That figure has now risen three per cent, despite Mr Blix's unfavorable verdict on Iraq's co-operation over weapons of mass destruction.

The only bright spot for Mr Blair is that 34 per cent feel more inclined to back a war since the Blix report.

But that is small comfort amid the overwhelming No message from the country, as 35,000 British troops head for the Gulf. Eighty-four per cent also think our forces should not be sent to Iraq unless the House of Commons gives its backing.

Many MPs have already criticized Mr Blair's involvement and their opposition is growing.

Sixty-two per cent of those polled want a referendum before a conflict that could have terrible consequences. Such a vote would produce a certain No.

The Prime Minister's motives are criticized Two out of three, 66 per cent, think Mr Blair cares more about supporting President Bush than he does about British public opinion. Women and young people are particularly damning. Seventy-nine per cent of women fear that being part of an invasion will make us more vulnerable to terrorism.

Fifty-four per cent of women say Britain should not go to war against Iraq, even with UN backing.

And 18 to 24-year-olds agree by almost the same proportion, as do the over-65s.

Labour's core voters, the C2DE working class grouping, are particularly opposed to Mr Blair's war plans. Seventy-one per cent think he puts support for Mr Bush above what they believe. The poll was commissioned to coincide with the Premier's trip to America, where the two leaders will thrash out details of the military action expected to be launched in weeks.

Even though one third of those polled were concerned about the weapons findings this week, that did not translate into outright backing for action.

That is the Prime Minister's big problem. Britons realize Saddam Hussein is a devious liar, but don't believe he is a serious threat.

On the contrary, the nation thinks Mr Blair would put the country in more danger by taking part in an invasion with the US.

A Channel 4 Powerhouse survey revealed yesterday that only one in 100 people thought a military attack against Iraq was unlikely.

Thirty-eight per cent believed war was certain and 47 per cent considered it likely.

The survey of 1,100 people by online pollsters YouGov found that 63 per cent didn't trust Mr Blair and 75 per cent distrusted Mr Bush.

-ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,004 adults aged 18 and above by phone on January 28/29. The results were weighted to the profile of all adults.

Copyright 2003 mirror.co.uk

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