As the race goes on to win Dorries’ Mid-Bedfordshire seat in two weeks the Labour and LibDem candidates are starting to get sloppy. Labour hopeful Alistair Strathern’s new leaflet is styled as a “My Bedfordshire Story” scrapbook whose conciliatory payoff line hits home… twice. By-elections are no stranger to rushed jobs…

Meanwhile LibDem candidate Emma Holland-Lindsay is sending out “hand-written” letters to “neighbours” across the constituency… from her recently-rented constituency office in Flitwick. Her actual house is outside of the constituency. That said, she could be living under the desk…

These local communications are about as good as Number 10’s on HS2…