Harmony turns to hostility as partners fight delayed poll battle

The delay of the election in the North Yorkshire constituency – postponed until Thursday following the death of Ukip candidate John Boakes – has made the seat suddenly the focus of national attention, with the vote being seen as the country's first chance to voice opinion on David Cameron and Nick Clegg's deal to share power.

What was predicted to be a comfortable campaign for Tory Anne McIntosh is now anything but, with Labour hoping disaffected Lib Dems will turn to their candidate, Jonathan Roberts, while Tory hardliners stay home in protest at the perceived liberal dilution of their manifesto.

In this new era of partnership politics, Lib Dem hopeful Howard Keal might be expected to campaign alongside Ms McIntosh – after all, the result will not change the make-up of the Government – but, unlike their respective bosses, the relationship is anything but cosy, with Mr Keal insisting it is a "no- holds barred, bare-knuckle fight".

Ms McIntosh was previously Vale of York MP before major boundary

changes saw that seat abolished and split between the two new

constituencies, Thirsk and Malton and York Outer.

She hit out at both her rivals, saying that Lib Dem supporters are turning to her and claiming Labour had betrayed all those who live in the largely rural constituency.

Mr Keal unsurprisingly dismissed claims his supporters would turn their backs in protest at the national coalition, claiming that the Lib Dems are proud of "dragging the Tories into the centre ground".

He said: "The campaign has been a no-holds-barred fight – there is a clear choice between us and the Tories and we aim to make that very clear.

"Another Lib Dem hand on the tiller in government can only strengthen our part in the coalition. Lib Dem policies are now at the heart of government – had we left them to their own devices they would have lurched to the Right, but we have dragged them into the centre ground."

For many in the constituency, the spats between candidates over national issues mean little compared to concerns about farming, tourism and flood defences.

However, with two candidates praising the coalition their parties have formed, while barely pausing for breath as they attack each other, many residents are confused about what their vote would actually achieve.

Ms McIntosh, who has a notional majority of more than 14,000, said she believes her support will back the "intelligent decision" to form a government with the Lib Dems.

She said: "The feedback that we are getting is that it is too early to judge the coalition and there is a great deal of goodwill towards it.

"Obviously, our supporters would have like to have seen a strong Conservative government, but they think we have acted very

intelligently.

"It has also led to Lib Dems turning to us, while many people here feel betrayed by Labour – it is a constituency heavily dependent on farming and tourism and these people do feel betrayed."

The Boundary Commission agreed in 2006 to divide the Vale of York constituency and this left no obvious successor; the seat with the closest identity to it was Thirsk and Malton, which was the successor

to Ryedale, held since 1987 by John Greenway.

Ms McIntosh was placed on the "A-list" of Conservative parliamentary candidates and was later chosen by the Thirsk and Malton Conservative Association over Mr Greenway to fight the election.

Labour candidate Jonathan Roberts is not intimidated by fighting a campaign in these "true blue" Tory heartlands, and believes anything is possible in such uncertain political times.

He said: "I have had Liberal Democrat supporters expressing real concerns that their centre- left progressive values are not going to be heard.

"Liberal Democrat voters have said to me they did not want to see a Conservative government, and as a result they are looking at what I have to offer, and seeing that many of our core values are the same.

"I genuinely think we can win here, these voters are coming to Labour and we could surprise people."

Parliamentary candidates are not often known for understatement, but if Mr Roberts is right and somehow he does win, his "surprise" would be off the Richter scale, a political earthquake to test just how strong the foundations of this new partnership within Westminster really are.