Sunday canvassing splits Worcester parties
Voters in the key marginal seat of Worcester are more likely to be disturbed by Labour activists than Conservative ones, following a ban on Sunday campaigning by the Tory challenger.
Robin Walker has opted to give his troops the day off, but has denied being “complacent” in a battle with Labour incumbent Michael Foster which looks like going to the wire.
“I think it’s very important we give our activists and the people who live here a bit of a break from time to time,” he explained.
“I think our campaigners are probably footsore and fairly weary by the end of the week, but also I do think people get weary of having their door knocked on every single day, so it’s probably a positive thing… I also believe in letting people have their restful Sunday.”
Mr Foster, who is defending a majority of 3,144 and is 59th on the Conservatives’ overall target list, has adopted a more robust approach.
“Politics is a serious business. There’s a lot at stake for the country,” he said last week.
“We have to make sure we get round as many people as we possibly can to get over our message. And quite frankly the best way of getting hold of voters is when they’re at home, and 4.30 on a Sunday afternoon is a pretty good time to catch voters at home.”
Mr Walker said he had heard “anecdotally” that very few people had been canvassed by Labour.
He added: “It may be they’re making up for lost time.”
