Labour bring out their big guns
Reporter: BEATRIZ AYALA
Date published: 17 December 2010
BATTLE lines were drawn yesterday when Labour big hitters came to town in a bid to woo voters ahead of next month’s by-election.
Party leader Ed Miliband joined prospective candidate Debbie Abrahams on a whistle-stop tour before meeting with Shadow Home Secretary Ed Balls at the home of a resident concerned about police cuts and community safety.
Campaigning for the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat began after a writ was formally moved on yesterday and polling day set for January 13, 2011.
Labour had been set to move the writ on January 10 when MPs come back from Christmas, which would have meant a February 3 by election.
The by-election was triggered after Phil Woolas was stripped of his seat by a specially convened election court which found him guilty of deliberately lying about Liberal Democrat rival Elwyn Watkins in his election leaflets. The decision was upheld in an appeal.
Mr Miliband first stopped off at Labour party headquarters in snowy Saddleworth where he picked up the phone to speak to potential voters.
He then took part in a question and answer session with Labour supporters at St Thomas’s Church Hall in Moorside before joining Mr Balls to speak to Holts Estate resident Malcolm Neald about community safety.
Mr Miliband said the forthcoming by-election would be a tough three-way fight but said he was not taking Oldham voters for granted and felt Mrs Abrahams was an excellent candidate.
He said: “I saw the work she did in the last election, she knows the area, she is someone who has a background in public service and understands the importance of keeping them.”
When asked if he thought it was fair that the Liberal Democrats had brought forward the by-election date, Mr Miliband said he had wanted people to have a politician-free Christmas. He said the move would mean some students not being back in time to vote, but he hoped they would try to make it to the ballot box. He added: “I like an election and I’m determined this is an election we will do well in.” Mr Milband said there was real anger about the way cuts were hitting people hard, with the poorest parts of the country suffering most.
Mrs Abrahams said people were outraged at the Government’s broken promises including the forthcoming VAT rise, tuition fees and reorganisation of the NHS.
Mr Miliband said: “This is a chance for the people of Oldham to send a message to the Government about decisions they are making and about breaking promises.”
When asked about Lib-Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable, also in Oldham yesterday, Mr Miliband said: “I hope he meets some students and explains why he is breaking promises. The Liberal Democrats have got some explaining to do.”
Mr Miliband told residents the Government’s plan for reducing the deficit went too far and too fast. He admitted Labour had to re-earn the trust of Oldham voters and said Mrs Abrahams would run a campaign based squarely on facts and evidence.
Final stop of the day was to see 66-year-old Mr Neald, from Wildmoor Avenue, who had helped tackle crime on the estate with the help of his neighbours.
Mr Balls, who is responsible for policing, neighbourhood and crime, said: “There is a lot of surprise and concern about the prospect of losing over 1,400 police officers in Greater Manchester alone.
“We can’t make cuts that big and fast without losing operational police capacity.”
“My message to Oldham Evening Chronicle readers is even in difficult times, we can still be fair to our kids, give them decent schools, be fair to communities and professionals, and keep police on the streets.
“Local people should stand up and say ‘this isn’t fair.’”
