News from the Ashfield constituency, where yesterday I was delivering in a street with a most unusual name.

It appears that Labour’s parachute candidate, TV’s Gloria de Piero, is so frit of her lack of local links that she has pulled out of all hustings engagements, including a piece arranged by the regional TV slot of the Daily Politics.

Gloria De Piero had previously said she would attend hustings on the BBC politics show (25th April), a chamber of commerce breakfast hustings (22nd April), a Nottingham Evening Post hustings (28th April) and Sutton-in-Ashfield churches together hustings (29th April) but has now pulled out.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Stuart Bray said

“Labour are clearly running scared in Ashfield. Geoff Hoon’s antics have caused much anger locally and people feel let down.”

“Gloria De Piero had pledged to be open and accessible to local people but at the first opportunity that local residents had to question her she has chickened out. She has caused a storm in last weeks national press by refusing to talk to the media too. With her background as a London TV presenter surely she is not camera shy? What has she got to hide?

Read more on Ashfield Lib Dems website.