Thurrock News

Leadership hopeful Balls visits Corringham

5:30pm Thursday 2nd September 2010

THE man who describes himself as the one with the “head and heart” to win the Labour leadership party race has visited Thurrock.

Ed Balls, former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, is one of the front runners in the leadership race.

He stopped by Basildon town centre to show his support for the Communications Workers Union (CWU) and meet postal workers and trade unionists as part of a national campaign to keep the Post Office in public ownership.

The MP for Morley and Outwood then went to the Springhouse Club in Springhouse Road, Corringham, where he faced a grilling in a Q&A session.

The affair was hosted by former East Thurrock MP Angela Smith and Mr Balls gave a speech and answered questions from a packed room of supporters.

When speaking to the Gazette about why he had chosen Basildon and Thurrock, he explained he had been to many places as part of the campaign and was focusing on seats such as in Basildon and Thurrock, which Labour lost in the general election.

He added: “These seats in Thurrock and Basildon are the kind where many people have voted Labour for years, and this time they were just not persuaded. I am trying to show people it will be different next time.”

When asked why an Ed Balls government would be different, he said: “We need someone can take on the Tories and Lib Dems. I have been leading the fight against their unfair VAT rise, their plan to break-up the Royal Mail and cuts to free school meals and new school buildings.

“We need a leader who is rooted in the values of the Labour, co-operative and trade union movement and can make the right judgements under pressure - as I did on the Euro and raising national insurance to transform the NHS.”

With the release of Tony Blair’s memoirs on Wednesday, the Gazette asked him what he thought of his portrayal and his thoughts.

Mr Balls said: “It wasn’t all bad, he said I had good leadership skills and made great decisions. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, but Tony Blair was the best prime minister we ever had and Gordon Brown was the best chancellor we ever had.

“They worked best when they were together. People have been trying to make this leadership race into a personality contest, and it is about the future and looking ahead.”

Now as shadow education secretary, Mr Balls was asked what he could do to improve Thurrock’s SATs results, which are below the national average.

Mr Balls said: “With primary education we have made a lot of progress. But there are still many children who don’t leave primary school with high enough reading levels. We want to give those children will get ten hours of one to one tuition.”

Mr Balls is in the leadership race with Labour MPs brothers Ed and David Miliband, Andy Burnham and Dianne Abbott.

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