And another thing…

Oh, dear. ‘Dave’ has decided to make the abolition of the 10p tax rate a central issue of the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. All very well if you want to commit to restoring it if you get back into power. But despite being harangued in the street by an angry voter and challenged on the issue, ‘Dave’ refused to commit himself to anything other than saying nice things and tilting his head in a sympathetic way.

At this point it should be pointed out that not only will ‘Dave’ not commit to restoring the 10p band – he’s also against tax credits, so neither will he support the government’s compensation package for those who have lost out. Why don’t you put that in your candidate’s leaflet, ‘Dave’?

…in Dumfries and Galloway. A council by-election in the Abbey ward last night saw Labour’s share of the vote go up five points on last year, with the Tories holding the seat. Clearly the most significant result of the night.

So the Crewe and Nantwich by-election writ will be moved tomorrow, more than a week before the funeral of Gwyneth Dunwoody. And you can tell that Iain Dale’s outrage at this move is entirely genuine. It must be, because he says so.

Gwyneth’s family support the by-election being held on 22 May, but that’s not good enough for Iain. Why is he so upset? I mean, what’s the real reason he’s upset? Could he be worried that, once again, for the umpteenth time, the Tories will fail to gain a seat from Labour in a by-election? No, that would be just too cynical for Iain…