It looks like being a long campaign...

By Liam Murphy on Jan 21, 10 12:49 PM

THE first blows have been exchanged in the election battleground that is the Wallasey constituency - and you can read the entire exchange below.

Liscard Labour candidate Darren Dodd has taken the offensive the sitting Liscard councillor Leah Fraser, who as well as defending her council seat is also standing against Angela Eagle for the Parliamentary constituency.

Mr Dodd has taken issue with the fact that Cllr Fraser is standing for re-election in Liscard as well as challenging Angela Eagle. The implication being that the Liscard councillor is not sufficiently confident of winning against Ms Eagle and wants to keep hold of her council seat just in case.

Mr Dodd's point is that Leah Fraser should choose between either fighting the election to retain her council seat or going for the Parliamentary seat.

Of course, Cllr Fraser does not see it that way, and a good part of her argument is based on the fact that unless Darren Dodd has inside information about when Gordon Brown will call the General Election, we don't actually know whether both will take place on the same day.

Darren Dood's letter:

"Dear Councillor Fraser,

As I understand it, you are seeking re-election to the borough council and are again standing as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for the Wallasey constituency.

However, your recent advert in [a Wirral newspaper] proudly proclaims that if elected as local Member of Parliament for Wallasey you would not take on any "second jobs." Do you expect the local electorate to believe you are uniquely suited to run for local MP and Councillor at the same time and are presumably contemplating doing both jobs? Surely an MPs workload would be tough enough without the additional job of a local councillor? And how would you attend Council meetings if the majority of your time was spent in London?

Your advert further states that you will not "play the system," some would say pocketing two sets of expenses, as you would as MP and Councillor, could be described as just that!

Up and down the country Councillors who are standing as Parliamentary candidates have announced in advance of polling day that they intend to stand down from their council seats at the local elections on 6 May. I would be grateful if you could clarify whether or not you will be doing the same?

I look forward to hearing from you."

And the response:

Leah Fraser said: "Once again, Wallasey Labour Party are getting ahead of themselves. None of us know when the General Election will be held.

"The Labour Party is clearly running scared that the Conservatives will win both the local and Parliamentary elections in Wallasey. If that happens and, as I have said before, I would not accept two allowances."

Cllr. Ian Lewis, agent for Wallasey Conservatives, added: "People in Liscard have voted for Leah Fraser at every opportunity. Many of the voters know that Leah is a hard working and dedicated local councillor and, across Wallasey and Moreton, people know that only Leah can beat New Labour at the next election. It seems Mr Dodd has finally woken up to that.

"I would no more ex[pect Leah to walk away from her responsibilities in Liscard than I would expect Alison McGovern [standing for Labour in Wirral South and currently a Labour councillor for Brunswick Park, in the London borough of Southwark, where she is the Labour group's deputy leader] to walk from her responsibilities in London.

"It is bizarre if Mr Dodd doesn't want local councillors to stand for Parliament. Westminster needs a new intake of people who won't play the system, not more of the same antics we have seen over the last year."