Hague confident Tories can win Barrow
Last updated at 10:46, Monday, 02 November 2009
TOP Tory William Hague is confident his party will recapture the Barrow and Furness seat at the next general election.
But the shadow foreign secretary and former Tory leader – who toured Barrow shipyard yesterday – said they would be taking nothing for granted.
Making his second visit to the area within a year, Mr Hague endorsed the qualities of the Conservative candidate, John Gough.
Mr Hague told the Evening Mail: “This seat is winnable. It returned a Conservative MP in the 1980s and can do so again.
“John Gough is a great candidate who works hard and will be working hard to win in Barrow.
“But we will never take it for granted in this election or any other election.”
Mr Hague also paid tribute to long-standing Barrow Labour MP John Hutton, who is quitting at the next general election.
He said: “I have had perfectly straight-forward dealings with him during our time in parliament.
“However, we will be fighting the election on issues not on a personal basis.
“It is a shame we have had four defence secretaries in four years. It was thought he [Mr Hutton] really wanted that job. But you must respect anyone’s personal decision to leave politics and understand why that happens.”
Mr Hague, who met senior figures at BAE Systems, reaffirmed his party’s backing for a replacement to the Trident missile system.
He said: “We are very strongly committed to the defence of this country and regard an independent nuclear deterrent as an absolute fundamental part of that.
“Everything I have said, David Cameron [Tory party leader] has said, Liam Fox [shadow defence secretary]has said. We are very much committed to a successor to Trident.
“Of course we want to make sure of good value for money in every part of defence, in every part of government spending.”
Mr Hague – who had been in Washington, USA, on Wednesday – also said there would also be a new generation of nuclear power plants if the Conservatives win the next election.
After a fund-raising lunch at the Coronation Hall in Ulverston, the Richmond MP accompanied Westmorland and Lonsdale prospective Conservative MP Gareth McKeever to the Life Science Centre at Grange.
First published at 10:39, Saturday, 24 October 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
