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Thank you to everyone who voted for me yesterday in what was a very respectable result for Labour in Harborough.

I’d particularly like to thank my agent, Pete Bowers, and all the members of Harborough Constituency Labour Party who gave me the honour of being their parliamentary candidate two years ago. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in Harborough since I was selected two years ago and am extremely proud of the Labour campaign team.

I wish Edward Garnier QC MP and the people of Harborough all the best for the future.

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Kevin McKeever, Labour’s candidate for Harborough has welcomed Labour’s manifesto for families which was launched today, Tuesday 27^th April, by Peter Mandelson, Yvette Cooper and Ed Balls.

The manifesto sets out Labour’s plans to build on our track record on helping families and to provide more support to hard working families in Harborough.

Kevin McKeever, Labour’s candidate for Harborough said:  “From talking to people here in Harborough over the past few months, I know that problems caused by the global recession have put extra pressures on local families.

“Hard working families deserve all the help and support that we can give them, that’s why I am opposed to Tory plans to cut children’s services, Child Trust Funds and Tax credits for middle class families – these are all things that families here in Harborough rely on for support.

“We know, however, that there is more to do and that’s why this manifesto sets out how we will continue to support families here in Harborough.  People here in Harborough have a real choice to make about the future of Britian – a choice between creating a future that is fair for all, or a change that makes life tougher for families. I’m fighting for a future fair for all in Harborough.”

In the “Your Family, Your Choice” manifesto that has been launched today, people will find Labour’s new commitments to families, including the following pledges:

• Better nursery education and childcare

• Support for grandparents

• A new Toddler Tax Credit

• Father’s Month

“5,000 families here in Harborough benefit from Tax Credits which would be put at risk by a dangerous coalition of cuts from the Tories and Liberal Democrats.

“Mums, Dads and children across Harborough have benefited from Labour’s 306 Sure Start Children’s Centres in the East Midlands – again, many of these centres are at risk from the Tory / Lib Dem coalition of cuts.

Over 240,000 children here in the East Midlands have benefited from Labour’s Child Trust Fund – which is under threat from both the Tories and the Lib Dems.

“People in Harborough will be taking a long, hard look at the Tories and Lib Dems and the dangers they pose for local families.

“The ‘Coalition of Cuts for Kids’ that the Tories and Lib Dems offer would be a disaster for families and communities across Harborough.

You can read the full manifesto for families by clicking on the image below:

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After a mammoth leaflet sorting exercise in Market Harborough last Thursday (thanks to all who helped!), all 44,900 copies of my election address were safely delivered to the Royal Mail in Leicester.

Every household in Harborough will receive my election address over the next week, but you can also view it below (click on the image to view the leaflet):

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UPDATE Today (Monday, 26 April) I sent a letter to the Conservative candidate for Harborough asking him to address my concerns about David Cameron’s comments and implications for our region. You can read the letter here.

Labour has today slammed an admission by Tory leader David Cameron that the government would play a smaller role in supporting the East Midlands under a Conservative government.

During an interview on Friday evening with the BBC’s Jeremy Paxman, the Tory leader claimed that investment in the regions was unsustainable and public spending was ‘far too big’ in the areas of the country that need the most support. But he refused to say exactly where the axe would fall.

Labour’s Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, said:

“Last week, David Cameron said that the government had “run out of money” and that’s why we need a “big society”. In other words, the government’s out of it and “society” should make do without government by its side. His interview with Jeremy Paxman gave us a further glimpse of a Tory future. Those regions outside the south east would have to make do with less government support and investment.

“Let’s be clear what this means. Scrapping the business-led Regional Development Agencies that bring investment and jobs to the regions. Scrapping Labour’s innovation and venture capital funds working in the regions. Scaling back the regional skills programmes.

“David Cameron describes all this as “regional stuff” and says it needs to be swept away. So, it’s not just the North East that should beware, as Mr Cameron made clear in his Paxman interview.

“The Tories don’t believe in government support for the regions, just as they think DIY is the future for public services. This is not “big society”, it is a recipe for a divided, fragmented society, fine for those that are already doing well but very threatening for those who need government at their side”.

Commenting on the Tory leader’s admission Phil Hope, Labour’s Regional Minister for the East Midlands, said:

“David Cameron’s interview with Jeremy Paxman has really given us a rare glimpse of honesty from the Conservatives and has shown us just what David Cameron really thinks about the public services we all rely on here in the East Midlands.

”The interview gave us an admission that, if they win the election on 6 May, they would pull support from the East Midlands.

“This latest admission comes on top of the Tories commitment to scrap the help and support Labour has provided for local businesses and our economy through EMDA our Regional Development Agency.

“While Labour has guaranteed to protect frontline investment in our policing, schools, childcare and the NHS the Tories’ plans would damage these vital public services.

“Only by voting Labour can you ensure that the East Midlands isn’t forgotten when it comes to decisions taken in the coming years. The Tories would stand aside and abandon those areas of the country that need government support most.”

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At this election our country faces the biggest choice for a generation. Labour will secure the economic recovery, protect frontline services and extend its support for communities and families. A Conservative party committed to taking billions out of the economy would kill the recovery, hit jobs and put at risk the services families in Harborough rely on.

Labour will not allow 13 years of investment and improvement in public services in Harborough to be put at risk. Since 1997, the number of people waiting more than six months for in-patient hospital treatment in this area has been slashed from over thirty thousand to just eight; the number of secondary school teachers in Harborough has increased by 20%; and the number of students in Harborough gaining 5 good GCSEs has increased by nearly 30%.

In 2009, the number of police officers serving Leicestershire increased by 5.4% – the second largest increase in the country. Each figure represents a real improvement in the quality of people’s lives in towns and villages across the constituency. Harborough has gone from strength to strength with the Labour.

I know the past year has seen people’s faith in Parliament and politicians rocked by the expenses scandal. Every party has been affected and each must play its part in rebuilding trust in our political system.

I share people’s anger at MPs who were meant to be representing our interests in Parliament taking more than they needed – or were entitled to – from the taxpayer. If elected, I will only claim what is necessary to carry out my duties. And, because I recognise that these abuses were partly allowed to happen because of structural problems in our political system, I have pledged my support for reform of the House of Lords, a more proportional voting system, reform of the way political parties are funded and devolving power from Westminster to local communities.

The choice is clear for Harborough. If you value your Sure Start centre, if you want to protect our frontline services, including schools and police from Conservative cuts then I urge you to vote Labour on Thursday, 6 May.

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As a demonstration of my commitment to transparency, I am posting my voluntary Ministry of Justice declaration of interests on my website.

You can read my declaration here.

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Our vision for a future fair for all

To deliver a future fair for all we need to:

• Rebuild our economy
• Reform and protect our public services
• Renew our politics

I know from my experience on the doorstep across Harborough that many people have yet to make up their minds about how to vote on May 6th. Many people understandably feel disillusioned with politics and politicians.

But this election matters; our country is at a crossroads. It’s about the future of local jobs and businesses in Harborough; it’s about how to further improve our local schools and NHS; and it’s about ensuring all our communities are decent, safe places to live in.

Labour’s manifesto doesn’t make big new spending commitments – and people rightly wouldn’t believe us if we did. But it does set out real, practical proposals that will make life easier and fairer for people living here.

Today’s manifesto demonstrates our commitment to building a future fair for all.

You can download a full copy of the manifesto here.

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I’m more than a little tired today after taking part in BBC Radio 5 Live’s Up All Night politics phone-in at 2am. I had a great time though and got the opportunity to highlight the risk the Tories pose to our economic recovery.

You can listen here – scroll forward 1hr.

And the campaign is full steam ahead over the weekend too. Tomorrow I’ll be hitting the streets of Market Harborough with Team Labour.

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KEVIN MCKEEVER WELCOMES BUDGET – AND CHALLENGES LOCAL TORIES

Kevin McKeever, Labour Candidate for Harborough, today welcomed the Chancellor’s Budget Statement.

Kevin McKeever said:

“This Budget secures the recovery – rather than putting it at risk

“It builds a future based on growth and jobs – rather than leaving people to a decade of austerity.

“It sets out a clear plan to halve the deficit while protecting frontline services. The Conservatives refuse to match our pledge and continue to conceal their plan.

“We will make these choices in a fair way – standing up for the many, not the few

Kevin McKeever challenged local Conservatives to come clean about their party’s plans:

“ The Conservatives must say how they would meet the challenge that we have set in this Budget.

“How much would the Tories cut from spending in 2010/11? The Tories won’t say.

“How quickly would the Tories halve the deficit? The Tories won’t say.

“By how much would the Tories reduce the structural deficit? The Tories won’t say.

“We’ve set out our plan. It is time for the Tories to come clean.”

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Kevin McKeever pledges support for NSPCC General Election campaign to protect children

Kevin McKeever, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Harborough, has pledged to support the NSPCC’s ‘I stand for children’ campaign which aims to make child protection a priority for the next Parliament.

Kevin said:  “As a candidate in Harborough I’m supporting the NSPCC’s new campaign to ensure protecting children is a political priority: I Stand for Children.”

The NSPCC’s campaign is calling on candidates to commit to a range of child protection measures including:

• Making the internet safer for children
• Continued funding of helpline services for children and for adults concerned about the safety or welfare of a child
• Tackling domestic violence from a child’s point of view
• Ensuring that vital child protection reforms are fully implemented and resourced, following the death of Baby Peter and other child deaths since
• Provision of resources for vital therapeutic services for children who have experienced abuse
• Strengthening the role of the children’s commissioner in England to act as a genuinely independent voice for children.

The charity’s Diana Sutton, head of the public affairs and campaigns unit at the NSPCC, said: “We need to make sure that the next elected Government keeps child protection high on its list of priorities. By signing up to our campaign, candidates in this next general election can help.  The public can play their role by letting the politicians know what they want done.”

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