Conservative candidate challenged to withdraw slurs on youth unemployment (Greg Stone)

Conservative candidate challenged to withdraw slurs on youth unemployment

November 16, 2009 5:15 PM

Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman for Newcastle East Greg Stone has today written to his Conservative opponent calling on him to withdraw remarks in which he suggests that Greg has no policies for tackling youth unemployment.

The Lib Dems launched their national youth unemployment policy - http://www.nickclegg.com/lostgeneration/ - in Newcastle East in September. In addition to national policy proposals, the Lib Dem leader visited new council trainees in South Jesmond benefiting from the Lib Dem commitment to increase local apprenticeships, before meeting jobseekers at the city's Job Fair at St James Park.

In addition, the Lib Dem spokesman for Newcastle East Greg Stone is the chair of Newcastle Futures, an innovative and widely respected organisation which has become the lead agency for worklessness in Newcastle, helping thousands of people back into work including hundreds of people in the East End.

Greg Stone said "I appreciate that in an election, political candidates will have differences of opinion, but I find it disappointing that the Conservative challenger appears not to have any knowledge of the local situation. I have written to him expressing the hope that he will have the integrity to withdraw his ill-informed comments, and that he will refrain from using dishonest attacks like this one in future."