Opposition parties round on Labour for 'racist' leaflet

The leaflet has infuriated Labour activists

Tuesday, 13, May 2008 12:00

Tory and Liberal Democrat campaign headquarters in Crewe and Nantwich have rounded on the controversial Labour leaflet the party's own activists have lambasted as 'racist'.

The story was originally broken by politics.co.uk this morning. Click here for the full story.

A Tory campaign spokesman told politics.co.uk: "I'm not going to accuse them of anything because what Labour's own members are saying about this leaflet is already on record, but why does the leaflet say Edward Timpson [the Conservative candidate] is against ID cards for just foreign nationals when he's against them full-stop?

"That's the thing that's got Labour's own activists upset. It seems strange to pick on foreign nationals."

When politics.co.uk spoke to Hazel Blears, local communities secretary, about the leaflet this afternoon she claimed not to have read it.

But responding to the content of the leaflet she said: "It's a by-election, so it will have a robust campaign.

"Our policy is for ID cards for foreign nationals. It's about an incremental introduction of ID cards. I haven't seen the leaflet, so I can't comment on the context but it's right for us to know which immigrants have a right to be here."

A Liberal Democrat campaign spokesman said: "The Labour party should consider more carefully the type of literature they produce when dealing with such a complex subject.

"The leaflet itself is indicative of how the Labour campaign is going. There's a large collapse in Labour support when we're out canvassing and that riles the activists.

"This campaign is going to be disastrous for Labour. We've almost stopped fighting them. Ninety per cent of our activities are directed towards the Tories now."

Phil Booth, national coordinator of No2ID said the leaflet was indicative of the government's attempts to impose ID cards.

Speaking to politics.co.uk Mr Booth said: "I'm appalled they would stoop to this sort of racist thing. They're own supporters call it that.

"But if people within the grassroots of the Labour party are seeing how naked and craven this appeal is then what is there to surprise us?

"Labour hasn't been making any running with the excuses they've used for ID cards except the basest appeal to those who are anti-immigration. So in Crewe they're descending to that level, despite the fact that the area's former Labour MP, Gwyneth Dunwoody - who died recently - spoke out against the policy. "