May day – but no bank holiday for campaigning PM
PRIME Minister Theresa May was seen knocking on doors in Ormskirk on Monday as part of the Tories’ General Election campaign.
Recently accused of shying away from the public after refusing to take part in national election TV debates, Mrs May was clearly keen to show she can still talk to people on the doorstep.
But her choice of location could say quite a lot about how the Tories are feeling about the June 8 poll and it could be a real concern for Labour.
Opinion polls suggest that the Conservatives are on course for a comfortable majority and it is thought all Labour seats with a majority of 5,000 or less could be under threat.
But the constituency of Lancashire West, which contains Ormskirk, returned a fairly solid majority of 8,360 in 2015 for Labour MP Rosie Cooper.
And the last time the Tories held the seat was 1987, when Ken Hind took it by a narrow 1,353.
Ormskirk residents were certainly caught unaware by the Prime Minister’s visit.
Sally Edgar said: “The visit took us by surprise. We saw the camera crew and we thought it was a wedding party due to leave our neighbour’s house. Then I spotted Theresa May in the corner of the close.”
Anthony McMahon, 16, said: “It was a bit shocking, opening the front door to see the Prime Minister stood right there.
“It took a second for me to register who it was.
“She was so nice, she chatted to me for a few minutes and asked if I’ll be voting Conservative.”
Gary Rothwell said: “Apparently she’s been to a fundraising fair in a school in Mawdesley too.
“Our neighbour, Heidi, organised it to raise money for a dance school trip.
“As they were closing the fair down, the PM turned up unannounced and introduced herself to people there.”
If the Conservatives do take West Lancashire on June 8, it would require a more than 8% swing.