VOTING Conservative or UKIP is "too risky" for the economy and the NHS, the shadow chancellor said during a visit to Bolton.

Ed Balls was at the Bolton Whites Hotel on Friday night to support Julie Hilling, who is hoping to secure a second term as the Labour MP for Bolton West at the general election.

He is the latest high-profile politician to visit the area as Labour and Conservatives battle to win votes in the key swing seat.

Mr Balls' visit took place in the same venue as a fundraiser with UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who told The Bolton News they expect to take votes from Labour in marginal seats like Bolton West.

But speaking exclusively to The Bolton News, Mr Balls dismissed suggestions that, as support for smaller parties such as UKIP and the Greens grows, Labour’s ability to hold onto Bolton West could be threatened.

“It is a really uncertain election, more than any I can remember in my adult lifetime”, he said.

“But in the end the choices are a Tory prime minister or a Labour prime minister, and that is what people have got to think about in the ballot box.

“When people hear UKIP saying that the health service would be better run with people buying health insurances and run by private companies – there may be some former Conservative voters who think that is a good idea.

“I think Labour voters across Bolton will say that is a hugely risky thing – I don’t want to see the NHS privatised.

“In the same way we know that we need to have tougher controls on immigration, and Europe needs to have much more of an emphasis on growth, and be more efficient.

“But I think if we walk away from the European Union as the Tories and UKIP are saying, then there will be thousands of jobs and big investment lost to our country because we’re a trading nation and we need to be on the inside of the single market, not outside.

“What the Tories and UKIP stand for on the economy, on Europe and on the NHS is massively risky and that risk would be borne by working people in Bolton."

He added: “The Tory way is the Cameron-Farage way, because they are basically two sides of the same coin.

“On Europe, on tax cuts at the top, on the NHS, the Tories and UKIP are the same – and Labour is different, because we’re the ones that want to raise the minimum wage, we’re the ones that will have a mansion tax to invest in the NHS, we’re the ones who say reform but don’t walk away on Europe.

“We’re the ones saying let’s get rid of zero hours contracts, we’re the ones saying let’s abolish the bedroom tax – and David Cameron thinks the bedroom tax is a good thing, and so does Nigel Farage.

“As Labour, we say our first thing we do in government is to abolish it.”

There were just 92 votes between Labour and the Conservatives at the 2010 general election in Bolton West, and the Tories have listed it as their second top target seat.

Mr Balls said keeping the constituency was vital if Labour were going to be able to deliver their plan for the economy.