Stoke's new Labour Voice - Tristram Hunt

Had a great day in Stoke today - where the newly selected Labour candidate Tristram Hunt was clearly well into his stride, campaigning hard for the mandate to be Stoke-on-Trent Central's Member of Parliament. We met at the campaign HQ for Rob Flello, and then headed off for the #labourdoorstep. I was surprised at how open towards Labour people were - in an area that was supposed to have a high level of support for the BNP. People raised bread and butter issues like jobs for young people and cost of living. Issues that I hope after a fourth term will no longer be top of mind, because we'll have found a way to solve them. Good luck Tristram - your selection may have been controversial, but like Mike Ion, I believe you'll be a fantastic MP.

Neil Kinnock joins Rusharana Ali at launch - Uniting the East End

I joined Rushanara Ali at her launch event, which was held in a packed community centre in East London. It wasn't the first time I've been out with Rushanara - an old friend and someone who continues to hugely inspire me. She's standing in Bethnal Green and Bow, Labour's target seat no 32. It's currently got a notional Respect majority and is one of the most deprived constituencies in the country. The UK Polling Report website explains how it loses the Tower of London, St Katharine's Docks, Wapping and part of Shadwell to Poplar and Canning Town. With 11 candidates and some complex community politics, she faces a real challenge winning back the seat for Labour. But if she pulls it off, it wont be long before the people of Bethnal Green and Bow feel the impact on their lives of her political leadership and influence.

Is victory in sight for Labour in Islington?

Had a fantastic evening out on the #labourdoorstep in St George's Ward with excellent young candidates Alex Smith and Jessica Asato. I'm amazed at the energy of both of them, and also hugely proud of their contributions to the Labour party and campaign through running LabourList and Progress. Islington watch out. You have very impressive talent that will keep pushing and challenging for a better community and better Britain.

Haircuts, not Tory Cuts!

Haircuts, not Tory Cuts! Great visit by Hilary Benn to visit an excellent Labour Candidate Rachel Harris  in Dudley South on the general election campaign trail. See below for the new campaign poster designed by a Black Country hairdresser.

'Bold and Realistic' - Labour Manifesto Launch in Birmingham

Had an amazing day today helping with the launch of Labour's manifesto. Almost 600 people came to the event, and I heard that even at short notice spaces for the event went in a matter of days. It was a rich and diverse audinece - young (very young - a two month old baby!) to those who are in their seventies and eighties. My favourite quote from Gordon today - 'The future can be Progressive or Conservative, but not both." That's what you call a choice, and its at the heart of this election.

The Economy for the many, not the few

It's been a fascinating roller-coaster week on the economy debate, beginning with the #askthechancellors (for all you Twitter fans out there) Channel 4 debate, which had over 12,000 tweets during the hour. What is reassuring for us all is the extent of consensus with politicians of all parties about the need to cut the deficit, and incentivise growth. Ostensibly the debate between the parties seems to be on matters of when, and how much we cut spending and where we safeguard - and at least at this level, political consensus on the broad way forward is an important backdrop for market stability.  However it is clear that the technical skills of our leading politicians and their hard graft rather than panic has steered us through the downturn. Tackling the downturn is when I believe Gordon Brown came into his own as Prime Minister. We haven't become a Greece or Iceland, we haven't seen the rises in unemployment that might have been expected based on previous recessions, we have made progress in arresting the number of repossessions. For many voters it may seem like the difference between the parties is just a level of detail and that there isn't much difference . But whilst the debate may seem like detail, of course that's where the devil is. Who's going to pay, and who's going to gain from the partys' different policies? What political philosophy underlies those choices, and will we risk a double dip recession if we stifle growth too early? There are no easy routes, and even the NI rise is not one I'd want to see if there was an affordable way of not doing it. However when employer NI has gone up previously, there hasn't necessarily been a reduction in jobs. We need to see these policies in the round - including the support made available for SMEs for innovation and skills, support for apprenticeships and flexible payment terms for businesses. And the biggest question. With the results of Labour's strategy coming through, do we really want to risk political instability or should we let Labour finish the job of recovery?
For a great blog on Osborne's economic policy - read Sunder Katwala's piece at http://www.nextleft.org/2010/03/why-painless-gershon-savings-wont-fund.html

The "Detached Eye" of Ann Widdecombe

Heard a really interesting discussion on the Radio yesterday about whether constituencies benefit from having local candidates represent them, or you can come to a constituency from outside and be a great representative. Ann Widdecombe conjured up an intriguing image when she talked about the benefits of the "detached eye" - the person from outside the constituency who on going there can learn very quickly about it but take a fresh perspective on dealing with the challenges. It's obviously not a new debate, but seems to be one that has come into sharp relief with selections in all parties in recent years. Clearly people have travelled to find seats previously; Tony Benn lived in London but became MP for Bristol South East in 1950, and then Chesterfield. Ann Widdecombe was new to Maidstone. Bruce George - MP for Walsall South for 36 years, was new when first elected in 1973. Of course this is all triggered this week by the selection of Tristram Hunt for Stoke Central, and his impending challenge by the secretary of the local Labour Party. The answer  of course is in a balance across the country. We would be in a far worse place in terms of the quality of our democracy and our nation's progress if all people grew up, lived and worked in the same area and then represented that area. It's a great model to aspire to - Julia Goldsworthy is one who meets that profile - but it surely isn't the only way. However any representative should show and convince the membership and electorate of what they bring, their wider sense of connection and what they will help change. And we should have better ways of holding MPs to account for what they actually deliver for an area, and how hard they work that should obviously include, but go beyond the oft-quoted measure of how often they vote against the whip. And how people can do this should be a key part of political education.