Labour vote up by 0.2%. Tories down by 14%. Good morning, Prime Minister…

When the LibDems sent out their latest begging email for cash for the Eastleigh campaign, sending it to a Tory MP probably was not the best plan:

From: Paddy Ashdown
Sent: 12 February 2013 12:47
To: ADAMS, Nigel
Subject: Please do this today

Dear Nigel,

When we won Eastleigh in 1994, it was a breakthrough for Liberal Democrats. This by-election can be as well.

…

To give you just one example, a donation of £25 today will allow us to contact an extra hundred voters in Eastleigh before the weekend. Only Mike Thornton can beat the Conservatives in this campaign, and cannot afford to lose by a few votes.

Give whatever you can afford today, and you’ll make all the difference.

Thank you,

Paddy

–

From: ADAMS, Nigel
Sent: 12 February 2013 13:08
To: ’Paddy Ashdown’
Subject: RE: Please do this today

Dear Lord Ashdown,

Thank you so much for your email asking me to donate £25 to the Lib Dem campaign fund for the Eastleigh by-election.

I have given your appeal very serious consideration and decided that on balance, a donation to the speeding awareness charity BRAKE is a more appropriate donation to make at this time and I have duly done so.

Thanks again for getting in touch and the best of luck in your campaign.

Nigel Adams MP
Conservative Member of Parliament for Selby and Ainsty

Gloves? What gloves. Broom broom!

All quiet on the Eastleigh front for the 2010 PPC turned “Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Eastleigh” Maria Hutchins. Despite her seat being the top of the news agenda, she hasn’t said a word about it all day. Not even a tweet.

Could it be that Maria won’t be the candidate again…

UPDATE: A Tory spokesperson has confirmed to Guido that they have yet to officially choose a candidate.

With the news this morning that Energy Minister John Hayes has declared “enough is enough” when it comes to windfarms, Telegraph writer James Delingpole is bowing out of the Corby by-election race, where he was standing as a single issue candididate:

“What would be the point? John Hayes has just gone and made my every dream come true. I’m overjoyed. In fact, I think I may well have run the most stunningly successful election campaign in the history of elections.”

Good news for UKIP who were angry at a split protest vote.

CCHQ are briefing this morning that sadly Andrew Strauss has missed his chance to stand in the Corby by-election as the selection meeting is apparently this afternoon. They did not pour water on the idea of a 2015 bid though, as other news outlets have noticed:

“He’s been hugely successful as England captain and he’d be equally so if he goes into politics.”

Silence from the man himself, who could have shut speculation dawn very easily yesterday afternoon…