OPPONENTS of the plan to build a centre for asylum seekers in Worcestershire have known from the first that they were in for a fight.

Now they know just how tough their battle will be - they have to take on Prime Minister Tony Blair and convince him they're right.

His attitude is clear. He "understands" why residents don't want asylum seekers on their doorstep, but he sees centres like the 750-bed one at Throckmorton as the way to tackle the problem.

That, of course, flies in the face of the united opposition to the plan.

It isn't only local people who believe that it's nonsense to place asylum seekers in the heart of rural England, miles from the facilities they will need. The scheme has also been condemned by pressure groups that support those who flee from political and financial oppression abroad.

So, as Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff rightly says, the Government should be asking itself if it has got it wrong.

And if it addresses that issue with an open mind it will accept that it has.

However, as the past few years has proved, it is very difficult for Mr Blair to accept that his Government ever makes a mistake.

Now, of course, is the moment when it can show that it does listen - and learn..