Valley pensioners put former Home Secretary David Blunkett through his paces at a questions and answers session.

The retired Labour minister was quizzed on pensions, austerity and nuclear weapons at the Carlile Institute in Meltham.

Accompanied by his guide dog – a curly coated retriever and Labrador cross called Cosby – Mr Blunkett answered questions on the NHS, taxation and policing over tea and cakes, with the General Election just four weeks away..

Mr Blunkett, who held several cabinet positions between 1997 and 2005, was welcomed by parliamentary candidate Jane East who is hoping to win the Colne Valley seat for Labour on May 7.

The former MP, who retired from his Sheffield seat earlier this year, admitted that Colne Valley was the ‘most marginal of marginal seats’.

The seat is again expected to be a close call, with current Conservative encumbent, Jason McCartney and Ms East facing the Lib Dems (Cahal Burke), the Greens (Chas Ball), UKIP (Melanie Roberts) and Yorkshire First (Paul Salveson).

Mr Blunkett, who trained as a teacher at Huddersfield’s former Holly Bank College, said: “There’s not a cigarette paper between them – but because Labour put in the smoking ban I’ll put the cigarette paper on Jane’s side!”

He added: “I think that the support is coming back and it’s coming back at the right time for the general election.”

David Blunkett with Jane East

Former Sheffield Council leader Mr Blunkett said it was important to canvass in smaller towns and villages as well as big towns and cities.

Mr Blunkett, who first visited Meltham 35 years ago, said: “Every vote counts and in Colne Valley it’s about votes in the villages.

“No community should be neglected in the election; it’s not just about big venues with the big photos.”

The former Work and Pensions Minister also praised villagers for their questions.

He said: “The questions were very good. It made me realise how hard it is to answer economic questions on such eye-wateringly difficult subjects.”

David Blunkett was born in Sheffield in 1947 with a rare genetic disorder that rendered him blind.

He was educated at blind schools in Sheffield and Shrewsbury before graduating from Sheffield University.

At 22, he became the youngest ever councillor on Sheffield City Council which he led from 1980 to 1987.

He was elected as MP for Sheffield Brightside in 1987 and remained in seat until he retired earlier this year.

After being appointed to two shadow cabinet roles in the 1990s he took three cabinet positions between 1997 and 2005 during Tony Blair’s Labour government.