One Battle but Polls Apart; THE GLOVES ARE OFF AS THE POLITICAL PARTIES CANVASS FOR VOTES AND GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP

WITH speculation that the next general election will be on Ma 3, or even earlier, party workers are preparing for the fight. Political Editor FIONA SCOTT looks at the battleground in Coventry and Warwickshire.

SHOPPERS' reactions were mixed when Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe took a walk up the wintry side of The Parade in Leamington to boost the Conservatives' campaign in a key marginal seat.

The plain-speaking politician thrilled Jan Sherlock by simply speaking to the Tory supporter for a few minutes. Afterwards radiant Mrs Sherlock, of Valley Road, Lillington, Leamington, said: "It's brilliant. She's a brilliant lady.

"I was surprised to see her there."

But it wasn't all good news for Miss Widdecombe as she posed for photographs in front of the statue of Queen Victoria which famously moved one inch on its plinth after a particularly heavy bombing raid in the Second World War.

A younger woman passing by with a friend took one look at the devout Christian who advocated pounds 100 fixed penalty tickets for people possessing small amounts of drugs and said: "She's vile, isn't she?"

Asking Miss Widdecombe to lead a Tory charge across the marginal …

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Publication information: Article title: One Battle but Polls Apart; THE GLOVES ARE OFF AS THE POLITICAL PARTIES CANVASS FOR VOTES AND GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: Coventry Evening Telegraph (England). Publication date: February 19, 2001. Page number: 6. © 2009 Coventry Newpapers. COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group.

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