Labour candidates hit trouble in Liverpool and Northampton

Labour’s Liverpool Wavertree candidate Luciana Berger is in trouble again as the John Moores University Journalism site reports:

Wavertree’s Labour candidate, Luciana Berger fell to pieces in the first debate of the Election campaign, which saw Colin Eldrigde for the Liberal Democrats and Conservative, Andrew Garnett attack the Londoner from both sides.

In a filming for ITV1s ‘Party People’, the three candidates were grilled by presenter Rob McLoughlin over their policies on crime and the economy.

When given 30 seconds to sell themselves in the debate at Riley’s Snooker Hall near Picton Clock, Berger froze, clasping her hands over her head repeatedly saying: “Sorry, can we start again?”

Following the re-take, which say Colin Eldridge reiterate his pitch on fairness for the electorate, the 27-year-old Labour hopeful spoke in an unconvincing manner about her confidence in the party.

You can find out how to help Colin Eldridge here.

Meanwhile, in Northampton South, a seat that on the new boundaries should a marginal Labour seat with a narrow majority, the Labour candidate has already conceded defeat:

Labour’s candidate for the Northampton South seat in the General Election has reportedly said he is merely a ‘paper candidate’ in the contest.

The former leader of Waltham Forest Council, Clyde Loakes, was announced as the Labour party’s candidate for the Northampton South seat at the end of 2008…

But yesterday, his local newspaper, the Waltham Forest Guardian, reported that he had “admitted he is merely a ‘paper candidate’, with no realistic prospect of winning the parliamentary seat”.

The newspaper quoted the politician as saying: “It is no longer classed as a marginal seat. I am doing this for the experience.” [Northampton Chronicle]

The Waltham Forest Guardian, which reports:

Relations between Cllr Loakes and Northampton South constituency party activists have broken down amid anger at the amount of time Cllr Loakes has spent away from the area.

Cllr Loakes admitted there are “complex issues” with the constituency party.

The Liberal Democrat interest in Northampton is much more in the Northampton North seat, where the excellent Andrew Simpson is standing. But this sort of bad coverage for Labour in the local Northampton media will do no harm at all. You can find out how to help Northampton Liberal Democrats here.