The Sunday Times in London reports that Clintonista pollster Mark Penn has been commissioned by the Tony Blair campaign as a key advisor as the Prime Minister seeks to expand Labour's strength in the country. Their reporters David Cracknell and Andrew Porter write:

TONY BLAIR has recruited the American polling expert who masterminded Bill Clinton’s re-election to the White House.

Mark Penn has been giving the prime minister advice for the past few months. Such is the secrecy of his role, few in government knew of the input from the Washington-based expert.

The move is being seen as a clear signal that Blair is concerned that he and new Labour have lost much of the appeal that attracted traditional Tory voters in the past two landslide victories.

Penn helped Clinton push tough messages on crime and the economy — not the usual strong points of the centre-left parties. His position also throws into doubt the continued influence of Blair’s long-standing pollster Lord Gould.

For those interested in American consultants' roles in foreign elections, check out Spinning Boris, a movie based on the true story of a group of Republican consultants hired in Boris Yeltsin's 1996 Russian Presidential bid. With a great cast of Jeff Goldblum, Anthony LaPaglia and Liev Schreiber, it's one movie any political nut shouldn't miss.

[Edited at 11:59 PM Pacific]: Misspelling of Tony Blair in headline corrected.