Lord Rodgers Urges a Lib Dem Vote

11.16.08am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 15th Apr 2005

Lord Bill Rodgers, the former cabinet minister who was also one of the original "gang of four", visited Eastleigh yesterday to add his support to the campaign of Lib Dem candidate Chris Huhne.

Lord Rodgers is pictured here with his wife Silvia, Chris Huhne and local resident Patrick Kenchington who was out shopping in Eastleigh on market day. Lord Rodgers joined Chris in a walkabout of the market.

Lord Rodgers was surprised by one local resident who came up to him and said that she had written an A-level text on the "gang of four" who founded the Social Democratic Party that then joined the Liberal Democrats.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to be living history just yet" Lord Rodgers said.

He added: "Chris is an excellent candidate who would make an outstanding member of parliament for Eastleigh.In this area, Labour cannot win and it is a straight fight between Chris and Michael Howard's Conservative candidate".

"Britain cannot afford to go back to the Conservative days of boom and bust when so many businesses went under" said Lord Rodgers.

"Chris will fight for a fair deal for Eastleigh on health funding and on schools, where Hampshire has above average class sizes".