Bridgwater Labour hits out at “LibDem” reporter
Labour in Bridgwater have reacted angrily to a front page piece in the Bridgwater Mercury by the Local Democracy Reporter. Brian Smedley, Leader of Bridgwater Council and a Somerset Councillor for the town his back. Cllr Smedley referred to the author as the “Liberal Democrat reporter, sorry we mean ‘Local Democracy’ reporter.”
The report in the Mercury is based on a paper circulating locally (The Leveller has seen a copy too) . It purports to be a list of seats that the Labour Party have de-prioritised. It has a number of Somerset constituencies on it including Bridgwater. Hence the front page headline claiming that the new Bridgwater Constituency was ‘not a priority seat for Labour’.
The document appeared to us as of dubious authenticity and at best out of context.
Cllr Smedley confirmed that Labour would indeed be nominating a candidate for the constituency in the “coming weeks“. The Conservatives have selected Bristol based Sir Ashley Fox as their candidate for the seat. Mr Fox is a former MEP for the area.
Cllr Smedley also points out that while the Conservatives held Bridgwater & West Somerset throughout the life of the old constituency: “Labour came second and are now lapping hard on the heels of the discredited Tories.”
“Lapping hard on the heels” sounds as if it was inspired by LibDem graphs or even “winning here” posters