Darling ducks angry challenge from voter

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling refused to answer any questions put to him by a woman during a campaign event in Yorkshire after she challenged him over immigration, anti-social behaviour and benefits.

Vivien Firth challenged the Labour minister as he visited a Morrisons supermarket in Rothwell yesterday and asked if she could ask a question – but after she finished the Chancellor thanked her "for her views" and walked away.

Ms Firth, who lives in France, said she was disgusted and would be voting Conservative.

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She said: "I have family who work in the NHS, they have problems as many of the people they deal with either speak English as a second language or not at all which can make work very stressful.

"We have gangs of kids staying out getting drunk on the streets, and we have families of six or seven children taking thousands in benefits rather than working.

"That's the state of the country after 13-years of Labour and I wanted to know what he was going to do about it.

"But he just walked away, he wasn't bothered. They live in a different world."

Mr Darling met with the supermarket's management and staff.

He defended controversial proposals to raise National Insurance saying the steps he had taken had secured the economy at a time when it was "staring into the abyss."