Baby joy for Kennedy
At 14 minutes past midnight on Tuesday morning, Sarah Kennedy – wife of Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy – gave birth to a baby boy, Donald James.
As a result, the day’s main anticipated event, the launch of the Liberal Democrat manifesto, was postponed, as Mr Kennedy temporarily dropped out of the campaign to be with his family (full story).
Deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell stepped into the breach to run the campaign until Mr Kennedy’s as-yet-unscheduled return, kicking the day off with a briefing on the Conservatives’ manifesto – following on from Labour’s own assault on the Tories tax and spending plans on Monday (full story).
Sir Menzies then headed to the key marginal of Bristol West – one of the country’s few seats where all three major parties have a chance of winning.
Labour began the day with another press conference chaired by the Prime Minister and Gordon Brown, accompanied by Transport and Scotland Secretary Alistair Darling. Once again, they took the Conservatives to task over their manifesto, published on Monday (full story).
The Labour leaders then headed to Scotland for the first time so far in the campaign. During the day, Mr Brown also confirmed that Labour’s manifesto will be launched on Wednesday – with the time and location, London at 11am, only revealed late in the day.
The Conservatives declined to hold a morning press conference, with leader Michael Howard staging a walkabout in Torquay, then visiting an Age Concern centre, before heading to Rothwell in Northamptonshire.
The Conservatives’ first election broadcast was also screened today, featuring a swathe of “ordinary people” proclaiming their reasons for voting Tory.
The campaign also took its first savage turn, following the revelation that the Conservative candidate for South Dorset, Ed Matts, had printed doctored photographs of himself and Ann Widdecombe in his election literature. In the originals, Mr Matts had been campaigning on behalf of a local family of asylum seekers; in the amended pictures, he bore a placard demanding “controlled immigration”.
Labour sent Health Secretary John Reid to the seat – Labour’s most marginal, where Tony Blair began his campaign a week ago – to demand Mr Matts’ dismissal as a candidate. The Liberal Democrats also joined in the calls for his sacking, but Mr Howard stood firm and refused to act against Mr Matts (full story).
Tuesday also saw the Green Party launch their election manifesto in London. Principal speaker Keith Taylor, who is contesting Brighton Pavilion, urged people to vote Green, warning that “A real wasted vote is a vote for something you don’t believe in” (full story).
In Cardiff, Plaid Cymru launched their election campaign, with party president Dafydd Iwan accusing all other parties of following a “London-based agenda” (full story).
In Scotland, the SNP held a meeting on the theme of independence and the creation of a “powerhouse” Scottish Parliament. Following on from his appearance in Wales on Monday to support Plaid Cymru, SNP leader Alex Salmond declared, “If it is time for the Welsh Assembly to take the next step forward it is surely also time for the Scottish Parliament. Labour needs to explain why Scotland’s parliament can’t control Scotland’s £600 billion oil reserves and why MSPs can’t sort out pensioner poverty by paying a fair, higher pension to older Scots.”
In Northern Ireland, the SDLP held a press conference on its plans for demilitarisation and normalisation in the province.
