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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| 'Tory toff' campaigning defended | 'Tory toff' campaigning defended |
| (11 minutes later) | |
| The Labour candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election has defended campaign publicity portraying her Conservative rival as a "toff". | The Labour candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election has defended campaign publicity portraying her Conservative rival as a "toff". |
| Tamsin Dunwoody said Labour activists dressing up in top hats, and posters describing Edward Timpson's wealth, were "good visual imagery". | Tamsin Dunwoody said Labour activists dressing up in top hats, and posters describing Edward Timpson's wealth, were "good visual imagery". |
| Mr Timpson said he had not been "hurt" by "old class-war tactics". | Mr Timpson said he had not been "hurt" by "old class-war tactics". |
| There are 10 candidates for the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, which takes place on Thursday. | There are 10 candidates for the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, which takes place on Thursday. |
| It follows the death of long-serving MP Gwyneth Dunwoody - Ms Dunwoody's mother - who passed away last month. | It follows the death of long-serving MP Gwyneth Dunwoody - Ms Dunwoody's mother - who passed away last month. |
| 'Difference' | 'Difference' |
| The Labour campaign has portrayed Mr Timpson, who is a lawyer, as a "toff". | The Labour campaign has portrayed Mr Timpson, who is a lawyer, as a "toff". |
| Ms Dunwoody's website says: "Do you want a Tory con man or a Dunwoody?" | Ms Dunwoody's website says: "Do you want a Tory con man or a Dunwoody?" |
| She told the BBC News Channel her campaign had used "good visual imagery of the difference between my opponent and myself". | She told the BBC News Channel her campaign had used "good visual imagery of the difference between my opponent and myself". |
| Maybe it's a little crude but it's trying to get across a legitimate political message Stephen LadymanLabour MP | |
| "I don't have a £53m pound fortune supporting me. I don't have a one-and-a-half-million-pound mansion. I am just a single, unemployed mother of five fighting hard for a job," she said. | "I don't have a £53m pound fortune supporting me. I don't have a one-and-a-half-million-pound mansion. I am just a single, unemployed mother of five fighting hard for a job," she said. |
| Mr Timpson said: "I've not been hurt at all. In fact, it's made me stronger and even more determined to put forward our positive message, which is really what people are interested in. | Mr Timpson said: "I've not been hurt at all. In fact, it's made me stronger and even more determined to put forward our positive message, which is really what people are interested in. |
| "They're not interested in old class-war tactics. What they're interested in are what are the local issues here, about the rising cost of living, the rise in crime and the cuts in local services. | "They're not interested in old class-war tactics. What they're interested in are what are the local issues here, about the rising cost of living, the rise in crime and the cuts in local services. |
| "That's what matters to people and that's why we have campaigned very heavily on those issues." | "That's what matters to people and that's why we have campaigned very heavily on those issues." |
| I wouldn't be surprised if it continues at the general election, because there are sufficient Neanderthals at the top of the Labour Party that will insist on this strategy Eric PicklesConservative MP | |
| Labour vice-chairman Stephen Ladyman told BBC Radio 4's The World at One (Wato) he thought his party could have been a "bit more witty" in getting its message across. | |
| On the Crewe and Nantwich "toff" slogan, he said: "Maybe it's a little crude but it's trying to get across a legitimate political message that the Conservative candidate hasn't done anything in the area. | On the Crewe and Nantwich "toff" slogan, he said: "Maybe it's a little crude but it's trying to get across a legitimate political message that the Conservative candidate hasn't done anything in the area. |
| "He's a rich man and he won't understand the problems that people face day-to-day." | "He's a rich man and he won't understand the problems that people face day-to-day." |
| But Conservative MP Eric Pickles, who is running his party's campaign in Crewe, said the "class-war" tactics had "back-fired". | |
| "When you see your opponents making a dreadful mistake and under-estimating the intelligence of the electorate, you should feel some joy," he told Wato. | |
| 'Mean and nasty' | |
| "My candidate's child's name is down for the local state school, his family belongs to a tradition of fostering and he has had 80 siblings, all from challenging backgrounds, so he is very much in touch with reality. | |
| "Labour seems to think if they just press a couple of buttons, working class people are going to jump around on a basis of class envy. | |
| "I think we have moved on. I think Britain is a much more civilised place than that." | |
| Mr Pickles said he would not be surprised if these type of tactics continue into the next general election "because there are sufficient Neanderthals at the top of the Labour Party that will insist on this strategy. | |
| "It's mean and it's nasty and it sums up Gordon Brown." |