Election campaigns get warmed up with a bus, boots, and bingo

Published on Monday 5 April 2010 23:08

CELEBRITIES, a Gordon Brown boot, a bright gold bus, SamCam and a spot of bingo were the main features of the last 24 hours of the phoney election campaign before the real business begins today.

The parties decided to spend the last day of the Westminster recess having some fun before the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, officially launches the election today.

Labour hoped that some C-list star quality would give them a push into the campaign with an event aimed at highlighting the government's achievements in communities.

Cabinet ministers and thousands of party activists were joined by comediennes Arabella Weir and Jo Brand and opera diva Lesley Garrett.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives were eager to remind voters of their claims that Labour will stamp out the recovery.

Following the launch of their latest poster campaign, Conservative supporters donned masks of Mr Brown and Mr Darling and climbed into boot costumes. They rocked back and forth, making the boots appear to be walking above young plants in a patch of bare earth, as Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walkin' blasted out from a stereo.

With help for families at the heart of Tory message yesterday, it was also perhaps not surprising that they launched the latest outing of SamCam, with a video on YouTube featuring David Cameron's pregnant wife, Samantha – the party's so-called secret weapon.

Not to be outdone, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg officially launched his party's battle bus. The bright gold vehicle was emblazoned with the slogan "Change That Works For You, Building A Fairer Britain".

It features the faces of Mr Clegg and Treasury spokesman Vince Cable on its exterior, and will tour Britain to promote the Lib Dems' campaign.

Meanwhile, the SNP decided to enjoy a game of bingo with the Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Glasgow East MP John Mason meeting voters at a bingo hall in the city in an effort to tell voters that "Labour's number is up".