Junior Minister at Labour dinner

HAZEL Blears, MP for Salford and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, visited Lewes on Monday for the Constituency Labour Party s annual dinner at Circa Restaurant.

The dinner, attended by some 40 party members, heard first-hand her case for a third term for the Labour Government.

She also outlined a plan for constituencies without a Labour MP to twin with constituencies that did have one.

After dinner Ms Blears said: I was delighted to visit Lewes Constituency Labour Party. They have a deserved reputation for campaigning and fighting for Labour.

Lewes Labour supported a motion at the party conference condemning tactical voting in the general election.

Delegate Steve Watts said: In Lewes one negative effect of tactical voting is that the LibDems have gained a stranglehold on the district and town councils, where Lewes is virtually a one-party state.

We desperately need more diverse voices at local level to challenge the LibDem s complacency.