Gordon Brown visits county

GORDON BROWN was mobbed by shoppers and Labour party loyalists as he arrived in Telford.

A crowd of about 200 gathered outside Asda in Donnington Wood to see the Prime Minister yesterday afternoon (Monday, May 4).

The moment he stepped from his Range Rover, Mr Brown, accompanied by wife Sarah, was mobbed.

• See today's Shropshire Star for more pictures and reports

Security staff had to jostle to escort him through the scrum to meet shoppers and workers.

Addressing staff, Mr Brown said: "The reason I am going around the country is I feel we have fought so hard to get through this recession and I don't want mistakes by other parties to put that at risk.

Believe

"Your jobs are on the ballot paper; your schools are on the ballot paper; your prospects for your sons and daughters are on the ballot paper and our policing is on the ballot paper."

He added: "I believe in the NHS; I believe in the best schools and I believe in our police force."

Mr Brown faced tough questioning from Asda staff. He was tackled on cervical cancer by one worker, who quizzed him on why women in England were not invited for a smear test until the age of 25 when others in Wales and Scotland were offered tests at a younger age.

Another worker, June Walker, 35, of Stirchley, said: "I have never voted in my life, so I will be asking the Prime Minister how he was going to persuade me to vote." Allison Edwards, of Telford, also managed to speak to the PM.

She said: "I just wanted to say thanks. I have an autistic son born the day Labour came to power. Autism has only been raised in the Labour manifesto and I just wanted to thank him for looking at it."

Mr Brown was also greeted by Labour party activists carrying posters who cheered their support in a bid to drown out placard-waving Conservative protesters, including Otis Ferry, son of rock star Brian Ferry.

The protesters also brandished SOS Save Our Services placards from the recent fight to safeguard the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

The Asda store is just in the Wrekin constituency — a stone's throw from the Telford seat being defended by Labour's candidate David Wright.

Commitment

Mr Wright was on site to greet the Prime Minister and he said: "It's great that Gordon is in Telford & Wrekin today. It shows Labour's commitment to our town.

"We have seen massive investment by the Government over the years.

"I hope people won't put it at risk by voting Conservative."

By Simon Hardy