Tories target ‘big scalps’
By politics.co.uk staff
The Conservatives plan on campaigning heavily in the constituencies of senior Labour figures including Jack Straw, Alistair Darling and John Denham, it was reported today.
A senior shadow Cabinet source told the Telegraph newspaper that their respective majorities, all of which are under 10,000, would all be put under pressure in the general election campaign.
The purpose appears to be to force them to spend more time campaigning in their constituencies, limiting their ability to fight the election at a national level.
“Some Cabinet ministers should not feel safe,” the source said.
“If we maintain a 12-point lead certain ministers, who would otherwise be taking a high-profile role in Labour’s campaign, will be penned into their constituencies much more than they would prefer to be.”
Some Cabinet ministers are already beginning to experience more activity in their constituencies.
Tory activists are buoyed up by their recent success in the Norwich North by-election, which saw Chloe Smith take the seat from Labour to become parliament’s youngest MP.
A summer ‘war room’ briefing from party chairman Eric Pickles released yesterday listed five top campaigning tips for the summer.
Number one was not forgetting to take a break “because,” Mr Pickles explained, “from now on life’s going to get very hectic.”
