LEADING Tory Francis Maude arrived in Bolton less than two hours after the General Election campaign to deliver the message: "Don't write us off."

Mr Maude, shadow foreign secretary, joined the party's Bolton North-east candidate Michael Winstanley and party activists handing out leaflets in Astley Bridge.

He said his presence in the constituency, where Labour MP David Crausby enjoys a large majority, demonstrated that the Conservatives believe it is a seat they can win.

He said: "I don't care what opinion polls say.

"All the evidence is that people are disillusioned with the Labour Government. Tony Blair promised so much but he hasn't delivered.

"When you consider things like him saying he was going to be tough on crime while crime has gone up 20 per cent in Greater Manchester since the last election it's not surprising that people are disappointed.

"We have got an excellent candidate here who's working very hard and we're not going to rest for a second. We are fighting for every vote because whatever anyone says the Conservatives can win this election."

He claimed Labour had "massively" increased taxes and predicted they would scrap the pound for the Euro "at the first opportunity" if voted in for another term.

Mr Winstanley said: "I'm delighted the shadow foreign secretary has come to kick off the campaign in Bolton North-east.

"It shows that we are out to win this constituency."