Witney MP David Cameron has been transformed into 'Dave the Chameleon', a cartoon character, right, for a party election broadcast.

The Conservative Party leader is portrayed as a blue chameleon on a bicycle in Labour's first ever computer-animated party political broadcast, to be shown tonight.

A new website www.davethechameleon.com was also launched today ahead of next month's local elections, as the Labour Party tries to depict Mr Cameron as someone who changes his political colours.

A spokesman for the Conservative Party said: "It's a poor quality stunt. Labour should be running the country, worrying about far more important things like the problems of the NHS, rather than launching a stupid website. It's nonsense and it just shows how scared they are of David."

In Mr Cameron's constituency yesterday, teacher Margaret Samphney, 56, of West End, Witney, said she felt Labour was using "cheap tactics".

She said: "At the end of the day don't all politicians act as chameleons at some point in their career? I think Mr Cameron has done a lot for west Oxfordshire and is a good Tory representative."

But daughter Lucy Frier, 28, of Manor Road, Witney, said: "I do think there's something valid in it in that his stance on things is confusing and a bit all over the place, changing from one thing to another.

"But then some might say if David Cameron is a chameleon, perhaps Tony Blair is a snake."

Launching the cartoon yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "This image shows exactly what David Cameron represents a political chameleon who says whatever he thinks his audience wants to hear. We keep seeing different versions of him Liberal Cameron, New Labour Cameron, Green Cameron. He may change his colour at will, flip-flopping from one position to another, but underneath he is Conservative to the core."

Labour's Oxford city councillor Susanna Pressel said: "It will hit home, because that's certainly the impression a lot of people have of him.

"He's trying to change things, but he's not taking his party with him. He's going to have a battle on his hands."

The broadcast will be shown tonight at 5.55pm on BBC2, 6.25pm on ITV1 and 6.55pm on BBC1.

* Mr Cameron was criticised by some in his party for travelling to Norway tomorrow to see the impact of climate change, in the middle of local election campaigning.