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Tories boast of Greater Manchester gains

06/05/2008

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, has acclaimed Conservative gains in Greater Manchester and the north of England.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World at One, the former Tory leader said the Conservatives now control more councils in the north-west than either Labour or the Liberal Democrats.

"When you look at Greater Manchester, the whole of the Manchester area, you find Conservative majority control of a council like Trafford," he remarked.

But he acknowledged that there are some authorities in the north which still have no Conservative councillors.

Meanwhile, shadow schools secretary Michael Gove has said that privately-educated David Cameron and George Osborne appealed "very successfully to working class voters" in Bury at the local elections.

In comments made on BBC One's The Politics Show, he said the Conservatives are on the side of "hard-working people", who want a better future for their families.

Last week, the Conservatives took control of Bury council for the first time in 22 years after Labour conceded three seats.

The Tories also picked up seats in staunchly working-class boroughs like Salford.