Hartlepool campaign enters final day
Campaigning in the Hartlepool by-election enters its final day, with polls due to open on Thursday morning.
Labour are defending a majority of nearly 15,000 in Peter Mandelson’s old seat, in what could easily be the last by-election before the general election.
Their candidate is 32-year-old councillor Iain Wright, who has based his campaign around his local credentials, saying: “Coming from the town I think I will know what people will want, and that’s what I’m going to continue doing. Everyone has been saying to me they want a local person focusing on local issues, and that’s what I aim to do.”
The Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, has however predicted a close finish despite Labour’s massive majority. He flew straight up to Hartlepool after the end of his party’s conference and told local activists, that: “There will be a very close finish between Labour and the Lib Dems here on Thursday night. A really exciting photo-finish is in prospect.
“Labour have had it all their own way for far too long. After representing the seat for forty years and being in Government for seven years they have had nothing positive to say. Jody Dunn and the Liberal Democrats offer a positive alternative based on guaranteeing Hartlepool’s hospital’s long term future, getting a better deal for pensioners and scrapping the unfair council tax.”
The Conservative candidate is 43-year-old Jeremy Middleton, a local businessman. The Tories have been careful of making any predictions of a by-election success, but he has had high-profile visits from Shadow Cabinet members and Michael Howard himself, and has been pushing hard on law and order issues.
The full list of candidates contesting the seat (in alphabetical order) is: Edward Abrams (English Democrats); Stephen Allison (UK Independence Party);
Philip Berriman (Independent); John Bloom (Respect); Ronnie Carroll (Independent); Jody Dunn (Liberal Democrat); Christopher Herriot (Socialist Labour Party); Alan Hope (Monster Raving Loony Party); Jeremy Middleton (Conservative); Richard Rodgers (The Common Good); Iris Ryder (Green Party); James Starkey (National Front); Paul Watson (Fathers 4 Justice); Iain Wright (Labour).
