Conservative Candidate quitting puts party out of the running says Lib Dem

9.00.00am GMT Sat 1st Mar 2008

Commenting on the news that the Conservative Candidate for Northampton North constituency, Michael Ellis, has quit after just 14 months, Lib Dem Candidate Andrew Simpson has said the Conservatives are now out of the race.

"This is very embarrassing for local Conservatives and comes on top of them loosing all their Borough Council seats in the constituency to the Lib Dems last May. Clearly Mr Ellis realised he has an impossible task ahead of him and he couldn't give the time needed to make any impact.

"At the last General Election the Conservative vote stayed static in the constituency whilst I cut Labour's majority by taking 3,000 votes from them. The Lib Dem vote increased by 6.8%. The Lib Dems now hold 9 out of 10 wards in the Constituency with the Conservatives loosing key areas such as Parklands to the the Lib Dems last May.

By the time the Conservatives select a new candidate they will have now had 4 candidates in three elections - hardly a commitment to the people of Northampton and showing that they are out of the running. Clearly this is a two-horse race between myself and Labour."