The battle for Ipswich

Ipswich Borough Council is Conservative led administration with the Lib Dems as junior partners. A third of the seats are up for election on Thursday.

So far as the General Election goes the Ipswich constituency is our 109th target. Of the 13 relevant wards when last contested Labour won seven, the Conservatives won four and the Lib Dems won two. Given that we need to win 116 seats for an overall majority this will be a tough and important contest for our candidate Ben Gummer.Usually where we have candidates fighting to take seats from Labour that our needed for s to form the Government they are starting from a base of being ahead on the Council wards.

On the other hand Ben is a very strong candidate. He is the son of John Gummer - but is determined not to let that hold him back.

Ben's ambush of Harriet Harman when she visited the town was one of the most magnificent episodes of the election.

As he recorded in his blog afterwards:

When Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman visited the Tree House Sure Start Centre today, she got rather more than she bargained for.

I interrupted her walkabout to demand that she withdraw a series of smears and lies Labour have been spreading, suggesting that we will close Sure Start Centres and withdraw various benefits from OAPs.

Labour lies about Conservative policies are designed to frighten people – especially vulnerable people – into voting for their discredited government.  The uncertainty she is trying to create isn’t
fair on parents, it isn’t fair on the hardworking Sure Start staff and it isn’t fair on the children  that attend our Sure Start Centres.

I have a very simple message for anyone involved with Sure Start in Ipswich: the Conservatives have no plans to close any Children's Centres.  In fact we are the only party committed to expanding Sure Start.  Sure Start will be safe with a Conservative government.

This sad display from Labour shows just how stark the choice is for Ipswich voters: between Gordon Brown’s tired and mendacious government and a fresh start for Ipswich, with a new MP prepared to fight for the town and a Conservative government ready to rebuild Britain.