Labour have lost Scarborough and Whitby, says Tania Exley-Moore

11.38.08am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 1st May 2005

The Liberal Democrat candidate for Scarborough and Whitby Tania Exley-Moore predicts that the Labour Party will lose the constituency on 5 May.

'I've heard it from people say it again and again: "I gave Labour two chances and they've let us down. Especially over Iraq." All over the constituency, the Labour vote is falling away in a way I have never known.'

'That makes the choice for voters here a clear one: if you don't want to let the Conservatives back in - and we know what they're like in government - vote Liberal Democrat. If you want an MP who is going to do things differently, vote Liberal Democrat.

'The others will say that voting for me will 'let the others in". That's rubbish: a vote for me is a vote to get one more Liberal Democrat MP in the House of Commons, and in my case, an MP who lives in Scarborough and loves this area and the people who live here. I will vote in the interests of Scarborough and Whitby, even if it means rebelling against my party.'

With 96 hours to go Tania is appealing to those voters who held their noses and voted Labour in 1997 and 2001 to take their fingers off and vote Lib Dem in 2005. 'You trusted Labour and what did you get? Votes in favour of the war in Iraq, house arrest without being charged and they slapped tuition fees on university education.'

'This time, vote for an MP who will listen to the people of Scarborough and Whitby before voting.'