Local people say - "We don't want this negative Conservative campaign here"

9.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sun 3rd Jul 2005

Stephen Day

Mark Hunter's campaign to be the local MP for Cheadle has been inundated with calls from local residents 'saddened' by the American style negative campaign tactics of Stephen Day and the Conservatives.

The Conservatives are known to be using a telephone bank from their London HQ to target voters with aggressive messages. They have produced figures on Local Income Tax that are designed to mislead and confuse local people. The Conservatives have even tried to claim that Mark Hunter - the local council leader - isn't local.

The American style tactics were developed by Michael Howard's 'negative campaign' chief Australian, Lynton Crosby.

Local Lib Dem Mark Hunter's Election Agent, Hilary Stephenson said: "We have been inundated with complaints from local residents who are receiving aggressive and misleading phone calls from the Conservatives. To claim that Mark is not local, when he is born locally, works locally and lives locally is an insult to the intelligence of local residents."

"These American style negative tactics are the politics of the gutter and will not sit comfortably with local people."