Barry Kaye, press officer to Newton Abbot Labour party, writes:

RE: The Newton Abbot Labour Party General Election Campaign

In their latest costly missive to the Teignbridge electorate, the Liberal Democrats are cock-a-hoop, gleefully claiming that the Labour Party is quitting in Teignbridge, having lost all hope of gaining the seat, and will not fight it, having been ordered (according to our former PPC, Jermaine Atiya-alla) by the Regional Labour Party to support Ben Bradshaw in Exeter.

With your permission, I would be grateful to disabuse the Lib Dems of a number of perceptions. Whilst it is true that our PPC has resigned by mutual consent, the NA Labour Party is in the process of appointing his successor, and will fight the seat in a campaign on his or her behalf. We have some three months or thereabouts to go, which is plenty of time to organise ourselves.

The Labour Party has fought the last three General Elections and won, and introduced many benefits including the minimum wage, and the winter fuel allowance, and now looks forward to win an unprecedented fourth, Unlike the Liberals, who have fought successive elections since the disaster of the Lloyd George administration in 1928.

'Always the bridesmaid but never the bride', they can but look forward to their next disaster when they lose the forthcoming election yet again.

As far as supporting Ben Bradshaw, the Labour Party, unlike the Lib Dems or the Tories, is a mutual Party, and we will not only be supporting our colleagues in Exeter, but also in Torbay and in Plymouth. Should you require any further statement on this issue, or require more authoritative information, please come back to my office.