Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed yesterday to take a tougher stance with asylum-seekers, trying to boost his credentials a month before an expected election on an issue that traditionally belongs to his political opponents.

Blair, writing in The Times, said the United Nations' 1951 convention protecting refugees needed to be updated.

"Its values are timeless, but we should stand back and consider its application in today's world," he wrote.

"This includes improving the ways in which genuine refugees can be helped," he continued. "But it also means ensuring that those who are not entitled to benefit from the 1951 convention are dealt with swiftly, through quick decisions and

an effective system for returns. This must be a priority should be win the next election."

Asylum has been a high-profile, emotional issue in Britain and other European countries, with the opposition Conservatives accusing Blair's Labour party of being too lenient on those seeking refuge.

The prime minister is widely expected to call national elections for June 7.

The 1951 Convention on Refugees was signed by 137 countries, including Britain, as a response to the massive dislocations that followed World War II. Participating nations agreed to respect refugees' human rights and grant at least temporary asylum to those who had reason to fear persecution at home.