Darling's in Brighton … so Tories launch Operation Get Alistair right in his backyard

Published on Thursday 1 October 2009 22:18

In an exclusive interview with David Maddox, two key Conservative figures outline the party's election hit-list

ALISTAIR Darling appears to have become the Conservatives' target for biggest scalp in the general election next year.

Over the past few weeks, the Tories have stepped up their campaign in Mr Darling's Edinburgh South West constituency in the hope that they can achieve a symbolic victory in Scotland.

A win in Mr Darling's seat would represent a comeback north of the Border and indicate voter disaffection with a Chancellor who has been in office during the worst recession since the 1930s.

As Mr Darling was in Brighton, trying to play his part in a Labour fightback at the party's conference this week, the Conservatives drafted in two senior figures to help woo voters away from him in his constituency.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Teresa May and former defence secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind joined Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie on the campaign trail.

The move came as notes seen by The Scotsman revealed that the Conservatives' target is to gain a minimum of four seats in Scotland next year, including that of Mr Darling, doubling that number to eight in the following election, probably in 2014.

Ahead of a walkabout with Conservative Edinburgh South West candidate Jason Rust, Ms May said she compared defeating Mr Darling to the losses inflicted on her party in 1997 and to figures such as Michael Portillo.

"It is always symbolic when a senior figure is defeated," she said. "In Alistair Darling's case, the fact that he is Chancellor would make it even more so.

"But the important thing for us is that it is part of a cumulative number of seats where we get in good Conservative candidates as MPs."

But Sir Malcolm – one of the high-profile scalps for Labour in the 1997 election, and whose old Edinburgh Pentlands constituency now falls largely within the new Edinburgh South West boundary – admitted he would feel some sympathy for Mr Darling if the Chancellor were to lose on election night. "Despite being foreign secretary, I was swept out (of Edinburgh Pentlands] because of the national mood for change in 1997," said Sir Malcolm.

"The Chancellor faces the same problem. The mood is very positive for change.

"I would have some sympathy with him if he lost, but I would not be disappointed."

Mr Darling's Conservative opponent will need to overturn a 7,000 Labour majority if he is to win in Edinburgh South West.

Sir Malcolm himself was voted out in 1997 despite having a majority of more than 5,500, but that was during the Labour election landslide.

Polls point to a Tory victory with a much smaller margin than that of Labour in 1997, but the rise in popularity of the SNP could also threaten to take votes from the Conservatives in the seat.

Sir Malcolm, who is now an MP for the safe Conservative seat of Kensington and Chelsea, spoke to The Scotsman ahead of a fundraising dinner for Mr Rust.

However, a spokesman for Scottish Labour dismissed any threat to Mr Darling's seat and said the "David Cameron effect" had not registered in Scotland.

"Alistair Darling is a remarkably well-regarded MP here in Edinburgh," he said.

"The reality is that David Cameron's Conservatives are less popular in Scotland than even Mrs Thatcher was."

• Additional reporting by Gerri Peev.