PRIME Minister Tony Blair has been accused of snubbing organisers of the annual Durham Miners' Gala.

With just over a fortnight to go before this year's event, the North-East National Union of Mineworkers' leadership last night said it had not received a reply from the Prime Minister, months after sending him an invite.

Traditionally, the Labour leader of the day was a regular guest at the gala.

But since 1987, when Neil Kinnock began to distance the party from perceived left-wing institutions, a polite apology has always been sent from the Labour leader.

Dave Hopper, general secretary at regional NUM headquarters in Redhill, Durham, said yesterday that a response had not been received.

"It's part of the constitution of the union that we invite him, but it has got to the stage where the committee will have to consider whether to bother sending the invitation in future," he said.

"The least you would expect was for the PM's secretary to send a short apology to say he wouldn't be at the gala."

A Labour Party spokes-man said last night that a message of goodwill would shortly be sent to the gala organisers.

"I have spoken to Mr Blair's constituency agent, John Burton, and he tells me that there's a message of goodwill in preparation. That will be dispatched in the next few days," he said.

A strong anti-Blair stance is expected from the gala speakers' platform, on the Durham Racecourse, on Saturday, July 12.