“Crunch time for Lib-Dems”. It’s crunch time for Lib-Dems as Southport needs change

“Crunch time for Lib-Dems”. It’s crunch time for Lib-Dems as Southport needs change.

“Labour have launched a fierce attack on the Lib-Dem record in Southport and say that the town needs change. It comes as the latest YouGov poll puts Labour second behind the Conservatives.

Asking “what have 20 years of a Lib-Dem MP done for Southport?”, Labour point to several threats the town is facing such as the possible closure of its A&E, which they claim is “the bitter fruit” of the Lib-Dem’s coalition with the Tories. They also highlighted the town’s empty shop windows and say Southport has been held back by Lib-Dems “fighting with neighbours who could help us”.

Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate, Liz Savage also attacked both the Lib-Dem and Conservative education funding plans, claiming they could result in dozens of Southport’s teachers being cut:

“Labour’s plans are the only ones that could see our town gain funding and teachers. Our manifesto offers Southport a brighter future and voting Labour offers our town genuine change.”

Ms Savage, who doubled the Labour vote in 2015, says working closely with party colleagues in Sefton, Merseytravel and the city region mayors in Liverpool and Manchester will see real benefits for the town if she’s elected:

“I believe our close cooperation can offer Southport a greater chance of regeneration through improved transport links and development.”

In a strongly worded article on the Southport Labour website, she also slammed the “negative tactics” of her Lib-Dem opponent Sue McGuire’s campaign, which has sent leaflets claiming Labour and Ms Savage “can’t win” and that “more and more Labour voters are backing Liberal Democrats this time”. This is despite several recent indicators which show a significant surge in Labour support in Southport.

The latest YouGov poll has them clearly ahead of the Liberal Democrats and challenging the Conservatives, while the most recent Ashcroft survey has them just one per cent behind the Lib Dems. Labour say both are “highly embarrassing” for the Lib-Dems after their claims.

“It’s a shame they have to resort to such negative tactics but it’s also quite amusing, let’s be honest, they wouldn’t do it if they actually thought I couldn’t win!” said the 43-year-old-mother-of-two who believes the initiative is now firmly with her campaign:

“We have closed the gap nationally and locally. The choice is Labour or Conservative. It’s crunch time for the Lib-Dems here. If they want to stop the Conservative cuts and their hard Brexit stance then, realistically, they need to vote Labour. I say to Lib-Dems, Greens and all of Southport, you can share in our vision for a fairer Britain; if we win; you win!

The full article can be found at www.southportlabour.org“