Harlow: Miliband Visits Labour Victory Town

8 May 2012, 11:20

Labour leader Ed Miliband paid a visit today (Tuesday May 8th) to one of the key local election battlegrounds where his party seized control.

Mr Miliband saw his party make inroads into the south of England in last week's local elections, taking councils including Southampton, Exeter, Plymouth, Reading and Harlow in Essex - the location of his latest visit. 

Labour even snatched seats in Mr Cameron's own Witney constituency in Oxfordshire.

The visit comes ahead of an expected appearance in Essex by Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg later today.

The pair will reaffirm their commitment to tackling Britain's record deficit following bruising local election losses and rebuilding the shattered economy in the face of continuing turmoil in Europe.

Labour exceeded expectations in England, Scotland and Wales by gaining 824 seats and winning control of an additional 32 authorities, while 403 Tories and 330 Liberal Democrats fell victim to a cull of coalition councillors.

Mr Miliband said Labour was "winning back people's trust'', and his party had won by showing it was "in touch with people's concerns''.

He greeted activists and members of the public in Harlow this morning before an expected question-and-answer session.