New Labour continues to draw from Karl Rove’s bag of Republican dirty tricks in the Crewe bye-election:
There have also been Labour attempts to smear Edward Timpson, the Conservative candidate, as a “friend of the paedophile” because he has occasionally defended sex offenders in his job as a barrister. “I think you will find he is not the type of lawyer he claims to be,” one Labour MP said.
In further evidence of negative campaigning, Labour activists have been accused of telephoning Crewe voters in the middle of the night posing as Conservative canvassers. A Tory campaign source said: “It would not surprise us if Labour was stooping to this level. Its entire campaign has been marked by mean-spirited stunts and dirty tricks.”
They are also appealing to the BNP vote by circulating a leaflet accusing Timpson of opposing ID cards for foreigners – even though the actual policy is for no ID cards for anyone. I await the inevitable breaking into of campaign headquarters and the polling-booth voter challenges with interest.
How much lower can New Labour sink? Well, since you ask….
