General Election 2010:Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will visit Colne Valley

Apr 29 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LIB Dem leader Nick Clegg will visit Colne Valley at the weekend.

The news was revealed by the party’s candidate for the crucial marginal seat during a live question and answer session with Examiner website users.

Clr Nicola Turner was also quizzed on her controversial campaign tactics during the lively hour-long discussion yesterday lunchtime.

The Lib Dem revealed she is in favour of motorway tolls and against downgrading the classification of cannabis during the webchat.

John Wrigley asked Clr Turner: “If you are so close to winning Colne Valley then why haven’t any of your Shadow Cabinet bothered to visit the area?”

She replied: “Nick Clegg is coming on Sunday.”

Clr Turner revealed later in the day that Mr Clegg would make a soapbox speech in Marsden Park from 12.30pm to 1.30pm on Sunday.

Clr Turner was also challenged on her election leaflets which claim Labour can’t win the Colne Valley seat and that only she can prevent a Conservative victory.

At the last general election Labour won with 17,500 votes – 1,500 ahead of the Tories and 6,000 ahead of the Lib Dems.

But Clr Turner said: “We have taken our information from the last three local elections. We have been clear about this in all our literature.

“Support for Labour has fallen since 2005. Gordon Brown’s government is very unpopular and we have drawn the conclusion that they can’t win here. Our canvassing returns and recent opinion polls have shown that this is the case.”