Lib Dem Brooke fears by-election backlash
Anger at the coalition’s strong stance on deficit reduction could cost the Liberal Democrats the by-election, a rebel MP has warned.
Annette Brooke, a serial rebel on education issues, told politics.co.uk she feared candidate Elwyn Watkins may fail to take the seat from Labour in Thursday’s poll, the first electoral test of the coalition government since its formation last May, because of the coalition’s approach.
Yesterday bookmakers William Hill placed Labour as 1/25 favourites, making candidate Debbie Abrahams “virtually unbackable” as the Lib Dems’ Mr Watkins slipped to 9/1.
Ms Brooke said she struggled to see why voters would overwhelmingly want to back Labour for positive reasons.
“I don’t think anything’s changed in Labour to make people say ‘I definitely want Labour and I definitely want to get them back into government as soon as possible’,” she said.
“There isn’t that feeling in the country. The danger is that we have a vote against the coalition’s policies, given the coalition has made the determined stance to tackle the economic problems. The question is whether we’ve really got the message over that it’s so important.”
The Mid Dorset and North Poole MP was speaking after she visited Friezland primary school in the constituency with the Lib Dem candidate.
Although she has rebelled on tuition fees Ms Brooke defended the coalition’s economic plans, including the VAT hike from 17.5% to 20% which was implemented earlier this month.
“When we come into a school like this it really rings home that we can’t leave that huge budget deficit because that will be a burden on them throughout their lifetimes and restrict choices for the future for them,” she added.
But she insisted her challenging stance, both behind the scenes and in the House of Commons, did not mean she did not support the coalition.
“I see our role as Liberal Democrats to be much more challenging on the things that particularly matter to us,” she explained.
Ms Brooke said the Oldham East and Saddleworth campaign had had to be “more mature” than previous Lib Dem by-election campaigns. “It’s much easier when you’re in opposition, let’s face it,” she said, before attacking Labour’s criticisms of the government’s VAT hike.
