Gordon Brown orders 80 ministers to join surge

Gordon Brown has ordered his entire Government to Crewe and Nantwich this weekend in a last-minute campaigning "surge" aimed at averting a disastrous by-election defeat next week.

About 80 ministers, whips and parliamentary aides have been told to visit the Cheshire seat amid growing signs that the Conservatives will overturn Labour's 7,000-vote majority there on Thursday.

"It's all hands to the pump – they've all been told they have to be there unless they have a good excuse," said a senior source. "We need everyone we can get."

Following this month's disastrous local election results and a string of rows with his party, Mr Brown's fragile political authority could be badly hurt by a by-election loss.

The Labour surge comes after David Cameron flooded the seat with Tory MPs and shadow cabinet members. The Conservative leader has visited Crewe three times so far, and will return next week.

Cabinet ministers including Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, Geoff Hoon, the chief whip, and James Purnell, the Culture Secretary, have all visited Crewe in recent days and been used as the focus for Labour campaign events.

But more junior ministers and MPs will be ordered to "roll up their sleeves" and start knocking on doors.

The Tories are fielding Edward Timpson, a barrister and part of the family that founded the Timpson shoe chain. Labour has focused on what the party says is Mr Timpson's privileged background, depicting him as a "Tory Toff" who can't relate to ordinary voters. As part of the campaign, Labour activists wearing tailcoats and top hats have shadowed Mr Timpson.

The campaign has drawn accusations that Labour is fighting a class war and even some Labour MPs are uncomfortable with the tactics.

Despite the "surge", senior Labour sources are privately talking about the campaign as a damage limitation effort. One said: "The important thing for us now is that we make sure the Tories don't get the walkover they probably thought they'd have a few weeks ago."

Read the full report at: Daily Telegraph