General Election 2010: Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg rallies supporters in Marsden

May 3 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Nick Clegg in Marsden

NICK Clegg believes his party is on the brink of winning the crucial marginal of Colne Valley for the first time in decades.

Speaking to the Examiner in Marsden yesterday, the Lib Dem leader said Labour and Conservative voters were switching to his party.

Clr Nicola Turner is Lib Dem candidate in the three-way marginal, which was held by Liberal MP Richard Wainwright from 1974 to 1987.

At the last election in 2005, Labour had a majority of 1,500 over the Conservatives, with the Lib Dems a further 4,200 back.

But Mr Clegg believes his party is closing in on victory in Colne Valley. He said: “This is a constituency where more and more people are turning towards the Lib Dems. It was served extremely well by Richard Wainwright and I have very fond memories of his time as an MP for this area.

“Nicola is doing a magnificent job on the campaign trail and people are switching to us because they are fed up with the blue team and the red team.”

Mr Clegg spoke to the Examiner moments after addressing a crowd of around 300 in Marsden Park.

The Lib Dem leader battled with a faulty microphone as he tried to convince both Labour and Conservative voters to back his party.

Mr Clegg, who arrived at the park at 12.50pm, told the crowd that Labour had “betrayed” its supporters in the North of England.

He said: “Who would have thought that manufacturing would decline more sharply under Labour than it did under Margaret Thatcher?”

The Lib Dem leader also criticised the Conservatives’ plan to cut inheritance tax.

“David Cameron’s Conservatives want to use your money to give tax breaks to millionaires,” he said. “Doesn’t that tell you where their priorities lie?”

Mr Clegg finished his five-minute speech by saying: “If you’re looking for a party to bring fairness to the tax system and to education, vote for the Lib Dems.”

Mr Clegg then took questions from the crowd, but had to cut short the event because his microphone repeatedly broke down.

Year 6 pupil Natalie Bell asked him why her teachers were refusing to give her the SATs test.