William Hague reveals Tories’ plan to win North East votes

Mar 30 2008 by Phil Doherty, Sunday Sun

THE Tories are preparing an all-out assault to win the hearts and minds of North voters, according to former party leader William Hague.

He has revealed Conservative plans to target the region in a multimillion pound campaign to regain power.

The MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire said they have drafted in shadow cabinet ministers for Teesside, Tyneside and Wearside to get their One Nation agenda across.

They have also recruited hundreds of activists for the region, funded by a multi-million-pound war chest.

A poll last week revealed the two main parties were neck and neck in the North, Labour’s traditional heartland.

Mr Hague said: “We are determined the Conservative Party should be a government for the whole country, not just the rural and the South, but for the urban North, too.

“We have been fully engaged over the past 18 months in making the North East in particular a strategic priority for the Conservative Party.

“Labour are complacent and arrogant believing no matter how much they bungle over Northern Rock, or losing data from Revenue and Customs in Washington, no matter how unfairly they treat the North East when it comes to transport funding compared to the South East and no matter how much they put up our council taxes, the people of the North East will line up to vote for them.

“The people of the North East deserve better.”

The poll, by Guardian and ICM, showed the Tories and Labour were level pegging in the region while in Scotland the Tories were just one point behind. Nationally, the Tories led by 13 points.

According to the pollsters, the Tories would win a 100-seat majority if the poll were reflected at a General Election.

Mr Hague said the shadow ministers “are engaging with policy makers, business and community leaders in a way which we haven’t done for a generation. The message coming back is they are eager to listen and to engage with us in developing positive solutions to local problems.

“Over the past year I have diverted my time and energy to seize this opportunity to establish the Conservative Party at the heart of the North East and to establish the North of England at the heart of the Conservative Party. We embarked upon this initiative because we are philosophically committed to governing for one nation.

“In these forthcoming local elections we will be carrying that message of hope and change from Seaton Carew to Seaham, from Scotswood to Seahouses . . . the message is the same: ‘There are no longer no-go areas for the Conservatives’.”