By-election Battle Hots Up

10.29.11am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 8th Sep 2003

Charles Kennedy and Sarah Teather welcome local Councillor Carol Shaw to the Lib Dems. Cllr Shaw joined Lib Dems last week from the Conservatives.

The Brent East by-election is heading for an exciting finish between Sarah Teather and the Labour candidate.

Latest figures show that the Labour lead is down to just 9% over the Lib Dems, with the Conservatives trailing in a poor third place.

Sarah Teather said, "Our campaign is going from strength to strength. The response on the doorstep shows that we are on course to win this election."

Dominant issues in the campaign include Iraq, crime, Post Office closures and the state of our streets. Many people are saying that they just don't trust Labour any more.

Six years is long enough

Labour have run both the Council and the Government for many years now. Yet they have not kept their promises to local people.

Sarah said, "After six years in power, Labour is running out of excuses for its failures. Where are the safe, clean streets that Tony Blair promised us? Why are so many, including many elderly people in our community, still struggling to get by?"

Tory vote plunges

The Conservative vote in Brent has been sinking fast in recent elections. Many former Conservatives are now switching to back Sarah Teather to beat Labour in the election.

Sarah said, "Even the Conservative candidate has admitted she cannot win. Everyone knows that only the Lib Dems can beat Labour here."