Labour's by-election chief tells of 'mission impossible'

Published on 30/05/2008 23:38

LABOUR'S campaign manager for the disastrous Crewe and Nantwich by-election has admitted that it was "mission impossible from day one".

Steve McCabe, a government whip and Midlands MP, has revealed his real job was to keep Labour from sliding into third place behind the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives won the seat with a 17 per cent swing, turning Labour's 7,000 majority into a Tory majority of nearly 8,000.

Mr McCabe insisted that Gordon Brown was not to blame for the campaign, in which the Tory candidate, Edward Timpson, was attacked as a "toff".

He said: "I went to Crewe and Nantwich out of loyalty to the PM and the Labour Party. I knew from day one that it was mission impossible."

The party had failed to win over younger voters, who he said were paying too much for fuel and food.

Chris Grayling, a shadow cabinet minister, said: "When the man they handpicked to run their by-election says they are no longer on the people's side, it's quite clear that this is a government that has run out of steam."