Top Tory Theresa digs heels in to back Darling challenger

Published on Wednesday 30 September 2009 10:05

SHOPPERS were few and far between in Wester Hailes' Westside Plaza when Tory shadow work and pensions secretary Theresa May dropped in.

She was there to meet voters and show her support for Jason Rust, the Conservative candidate taking on Chancellor Alistair Darling in Edinburgh South West at the next general election.

Mrs May became famous for her love of shoes after wearing kitten heels to address her party conference – the same occasion when she warned activists the Tories were seen as the "nasty party".

Party officials who organised yesterday's Capital visit originally planned to include a visit to a city-centre shoe shop on the itinerary, but decided time was too tight.

So standing next to the shoe shelf in Barnardo's charity shop in Westside Plaza was as close as she got to indulging her interest in footwear. Mrs May admitted the Tories' calls for cuts was "a difficult message in the sense it has an impact on people". But she insisted: "Whoever is elected is going to have to make cuts in public spending. Part of our message is that we as a party are better able to deliver more for less."

There has been speculation that if the Conservatives win the election, they could abolish free TV licences for older people and scrap winter fuel payments.

Mrs May blamed Labour for spreading such stories: "We have no plans to do these things Labour talk about in terms of winter fuel allowance and the TV licence. They are scaremongering."

It has also been said that the Tories could freeze statepensions, but Mrs May said: "We have not said we are going to be freezing pensions."

Before visiting the mall, she had been to see West Edinburgh Action, a project helping unemployed people overcome barriers to getting back into work.

She said it tied in with the Tories' plans for welfare reform.

"One of the things we want to do is look at working with more providers outside the public sector – the private sector and voluntary sector. All the evidence is these other providers are very successful in getting people into work."

Mrs May might not be the best-known Conservative frontbencher, but one man in Westside Plaza said he knew her face before warning her: "You won't find many Tories in Wester Hailes."

Councillor Rust quickly intervened. "Oh, an increasing number," he said. Mrs May cautiously did not mention her party when she met the next shopper, introducing herself just as "a politician". But she need not have worried. This lady told her: "I remember Malcolm Rifkind. He did a good job."

Mr Darling had a 7,242 majority over the Tories in Edinburgh South West in 2005.