Senior Church of England bishops today urged the Prime Minister to delay the General Election as the foot-and-mouth epidemic rages.

The Archbishop of York, the Right Reverend David Hope, and a number of his colleagues joined farmers and the Tories in appealing for a May 3 election to be postponed.

Tony Blair is expected to make up his mind this weekend about when to go to the country.

Dr Hope, the second most senior figure in the Church of England, told The Times: "Ultimately, the Prime Minister must make his own decision, but my view is the election ought to be postponed.

"There is clearly a very strong feeling in the farming community that there should not be an election at the moment."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, shares Dr Hope's concerns about the number of people in the countryside who could be deprived of their voting rights.

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy today also stressed the importance of sorting out the foot-and-mouth crisis before calling the election.

Mr Kennedy said: "The big issue is getting on top of this terrible crisis and sorting it out.

"Politicians shouldn't focus on their livelihoods, they should be focusing on the livelihoods of those suffering in this horrendous fashion."

The number of foot-and-mouth cases has risen to 780 after 38 new outbreaks yesterday.

The Government may announce today whether it plans to vaccinate cattle in Cumbria and Devon, the two worst-hit counties.

Agriculture Minister Nick Brown has told the Cabinet that the policy of slaughtering healthy animals may not be enough to contain the epidemic.

Meanwhile, Mr Blair has gone on American TV to woo back tourists worried by the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

The Prime Minister insisted it was safe to take a holiday in places such as the Lake District, Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath.

He told NBC's News of America: "We love American visitors coming over here.

"Any tourist attraction, virtually, that anyone in the United States will have heard of and wants to come and see, is open."

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