Backing for Rupa Huq and Ruth Cadbury despite her manifesto memory lapse

Ed Miliband gave strong backing to his local candidates in a visit to the area this week.

He was at a community centre in Acton on Friday (24th April) and had words of support for Ruth Cadbury whose recent memory lapse when asked about the party manifesto went viral and made it onto 'Have I Got News For You'.

He said of the candidate for the Brentford and Isleworth constituency, "People should get judged on what they do and their work in the constituency. I'm incredibly proud of Ruth and she'll make a great MP."

He described local candidate for Ealing Central and Acton, Rupa Huq, who accompanied him on his visit as "brilliant" and said she was a rising star. She was running an energetic campaign fighting on issues such as a living wage, healthcare, and the abolition of zero hours contracts.

He talked about his own links with the two local constituencies recalling that his late father Ralph, had studied at Acton Technical College. When Miliband senior arrived in London during the Blitz he found work removing furniture from bombed out homes in Chiswick. He went on to study first at Acton and later at the London School of Economics. Mr. Miliband said he had visited the Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College campus two years ago

He met party activists at the event who cheered him loudly as he pledged that a Labour government would do a better job than the Conservatives on the NHS, the economy and on a fairer society.

The scene inside the community centre

And on fears about the Mansion Tax, which could affect homeowners in the more affluent areas of Chiswick and Ealing, he said people should be reassured that it would affect very few homeowners and there were safeguards in place. The £2 million ceiling would not be revised downwards. The tax would apply to less than 1 per cent of homes in the constituency and the threshold would rise in line with the average rise in prices. People who earned less than £42,000 a year would have the right to defer the mansion tax until their property was sold, he said.

People gather outside waiting to see Ed Miliband

On the NHS and local fears over Ealing Hospital and Charing Cross A & E, he said that a Labour government was committed to investing in the NHS, providing more nurses, care workers and other staff and the money for this would come from areas such as from the Mansion Tax which would contribute £1.2 billion towards the Labour extra funding for the NHS.

He was also asked about the current Milifandom craze amongst teenagers on Twitter, and if he had seen Newzoids, the new Spitting Image spinoff.

He said, ''I think the Milifans are very generous and when I told my wife she thought it was a case of mistaken identity. But a serious point here is about young people and politics - young people feel they need a voice and I'm proud to stand up for them.''

Labour Leader and MP reveal favourite songs

Before they left, Mr Miliband and Dr Huq revealed that if forced to win votes by performing karaoke to the masses which song they would both sing.

For Ms Huq it would be 'Between The Wars by Billy Bragg' and Mr Miliband said both he and his wife Justine's favourite song is 'Angels' by Robbie Williams.

But sadly it's unlikely Mr Miliband will be performing in a karaoke bar near you - he reckoned his singing could possibly lose him votes.

Nominations for Ealing Central and Acton Seat: Jon BALL - Lib Dems. Angie BRAY - Conservatives. Scott DORE - Workers Revolutionary Party. Peter FLORENCE - UK Independence Party (UKIP). Rupa HUQ - Labour. Tammy RENDLE - Above and Beyond. Andrzej RYGIELSKI - Europeans Party. Tom SHARMAN - The Green party

The candidates for the Brentford & Isleworth constituency are: Joseph Bourke (Liberal Democrat), Ruth Cadbury (Labour), Daniel Goldsmith (Green Party ), Richard Hendron (UKIP), Mary Macleod (Conservative)

April 24, 2015