Tory campaign chief determined to '˜maximise' foothold in Yorkshire as poll reveals surge in support

Speaking to this paper, the former transport secretary said his party’s victory in the recent Teeside mayoral election should act as a “stark” warning to Labour that voters in the North feel they have been taken for granted.

His comments come as YouGov published its latest polling results for Yorkshire and the Humber, putting the Tories party five points ahead of Labour at 43 percent.

This is in stark contrast with Labour’s six-point lead in 2015, fuelling expectations that the Tories will make significant gains in the region come June 9.

Yorkshire has already emerged as a key battleground in the forthcoming election, with Labour-held Halifax and Conservative-held Morley and Outwood among the marginal seats up for grabs.

The region has enjoyed multiple visits by political heavyweights from all major parties, and Labour has chosen Leeds as the site of its manifesto launch tomorrow.

As party chairman, Mr McLoughlin is the man charged with coordinating the Conservative’s national election campaign.

He told this paper he remains cautious about the party’s prospects in areas like Yorkshire, but says he is “encouraged” by the reports he is hearing from those on the ground.

“You aren’t going to get me to start forecasting results, or say that we’re concentrating on this particular seat or that particular seat,” he said. “We are not taking anything for granted in this campaign – I can’t emphasise [that] enough.

“But there are a number of seats where we’re getting good responses and I hope to see us make progress.

“I’m encouraged by... the reports I’m getting from the people that I’m speaking to who represent Yorkshire. We will go out to maximise the Conservative vote and see what it brings.”

Asked whether he believes his party can make its policies resonate with voters in Labour’s Northern heartlands, he pointed to recent local elections as proof that traditional party allegiances are changing. The Tory candidate for the Tees Valley mayoral contest, Ben Houchen, managed to see off his Labour rival by more than 2,000 votes.

He said this should act as a “stark reminder to the Labour party” that they should not take voters in the North “for granted”. “[It is] also an opportunity for the Conservative party to say ‘give us the opportunity of representing you’,” he added.

It has been widely noted that the Conservative campaign is centred heavily around Theresa May, as the party seeks to contrast her “strong” leadership style with that of Jeremy Corbyn.

This has led to reports that in many constituencies – including key marginals like Dewsbury – voters struggle to name their local Tory candidate.

Mr McLoughlin dismissed suggestions this tactic could backfire on the party.

He said: “We are very proud of our leader, but I look in vein at Labour literature to see a picture of their leader.”