Cameron is launching his manifesto (a Future Fair for Few?) at of all places Battersea Power Station. Impressive from the outside but hollow and empty within. Yep the symbolism is remarkable. But in the post mydavidcameron.com age they've attempted to design an unspoofable manifesto cover. Here it is below. Now I'm not the most creative of people but even I found it relatively easy to have some fun with it. I predict I won't be the last to have fun with photoshop today! UPDATE 12:00: Been...
Read 'The unspoofable Manifesto?' >

Apologies for not blogging yesterday but we were busy planning a guerilla event at Aintree ahead of the Grand National. I've always felt that watching the Grand National on the TV as a family is a great British tradition. But it appears the Tories - as part of their 'contract' with News International and Murdoch - want to change that. Their Shadow Sports Minister, Hugh Robertson has said that the Tories would cut the "A-list" of sporting events listed for guaranteed free-to-air broadcasting. He says it's "an artificial interference" in the running of sport. The Grand...
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Day 2 of our Prescott Express and we had a quiet start this morning. After speaking at a UNITE rally with Derek Simpson in Dumfries (with Charlie tweeting away at the back) we made our way to Edinburgh. Unfortunately we were a slave to the SatNav and took the shortest route down the bumpiest A road I've ever been on - let me tell you, you really feel it in the back of a Transit. I'm sure Hague had no such problems as he flew over Scotland today looking down on Scots below. Neither does Clegg...
Read 'BEST - BATTLEBUS - EVER!' >

Day 1 on the Prescott Express 50 key seat tour of Britain and we're already picking up coverage. We started in Carlisle with our excellent PPC Mike Boaden. As you can see, the snappers talked me into the photo - BUT the girls do vote Labour. Then it was off to visit the £38m flood defences Labour built following the disasterous 2005 floods. Managed to catch up with Ella who was flooded at the time and is delighted with money we invested to protect her home. Then on to Dumfries for Russell...
Read 'And we're off!' >

Well - we're off! Tomorrow I'll launch my final Prescott Express battle bus tour of 50 key marginal seats in Carlisle. It'll be the start of a four-thousand mile tour by to ensure we get out our core Labour vote. After 40 years as an MP and fighting 10 General Elections, I'll be revisiting key seats across Britain that I first campaigned for in 1997, 2001 and 2005 to rally support for Labour ahead of polling day. I've been the set task of getting out Labour's core vote in 50 key seats...
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Lot's of talk about that crowdsourced Labour poster. Great idea to let the public design tm. Not sure about the winner but I received scores from other people in reply to the Tories saying they thought the original was great. This poster by Dorian really nailed the 80s angle on the Tories and the damage they did - and made me laugh....
Read 'They weren't acceptable in the 80s!' >

Thursday was my last day in my House of Commons office after 40 years as an MP. I spend the day packing papers into boxes and leaving the room for the next member, whomever that might be. From next week I'll be full time on the Prescott Express from now until General Election day (more of that in a few days time.) But as it was April Fool's day - insert joke here - I thought we'd have a bit of fun with the Tories and the Saatchi brothers. At...
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Read 'Campaigning, campaigning, campaigning' >

Thoroughly enjoyed last night's Go Fourth rally at Bilston Town Hall for Pat McFadden. But now I'm up to catch the train to Edinburgh for a mini campaign tour before tomorrow's Scottish Labour Conference in Glasgow. We always get a very warm welcome in Scotland and I have very fond memories of the Glenrothes by-election - the start of Labour's fightback. I'll be visiting Edinburgh to talk to shoppers, join a phone bank before driving to Livingston on the Prescott Express to meet more shoppers and then on to Glasgow for a meeting with...
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Memo to self - always sharpen scissors before opening things! Good job David Williams is doing a better job - putting Labour's case in Crewe and Nantwich. He'd make an excellent MP. Looking forward to campaigning Bristol this weekend with Kerry McCarthy and Scotland the next. Just finishing off the grid for the Prescott Express' tour in the short campaign. We're really getting around this election. Beware the Forces of Hull!...
Read 'It's Two Snips!' >