My goodness, Labour are running scared. Gwennyth Dunwoody’s funeral hasn’t even taken place yet and the Labour Party have moved the writ for the by election in Crewe and Nantwich. Polling day will be Thursday 22nd May - so it’s all hands to the pump!

An overnight email had me and Janet scurrying up the M6 this morning to Campaign HQ where we spent the day getting back into campaigning mode! Janet was out straight away delivering a tabloid election newspaper whilst I stayed in the office sorting out leaflets into walk rounds. Jan and I last helped out at a by election  a few years ago at Hodge Hill in Birmingham and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves for three weeks. This campaign will be much shorter so we’ll be up and down the motorway as often as we can.

I am very impressed with the premises being used in Crewe. The campaign is being run from a rather impressive office block on Fourth Avenue. Light and airy with plenty of space for all the volunteers and helpers - a complete contrast to the cramped shop premises used in Hodge Hill. And yet again I never cease to be amazed at the enthusiasm of Libdem members when there’s a by election to be fought. Local parties were well represented today with members from Shrewsbury, Warrington, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stafford, South Staffs and, of course, Stone. But in adddition members had travelled from Folkstone, London, Bristol and Exeter in the south and Gateshead in the north. And this just a couple of days after their own local elections had ended!

There was a great atmosphere today. Could we pull off another surprise in Crewe?