Salter's verdict on Reading West race
Adam Hewitt • Published 11 May 2010 12:00
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Reading West Labour candidate Naz Sarkar, who lost out to Tory Alok Sharma
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IT WAS a case of 'no hard feelings mate' as former Reading West MP Martin Salter congratulated his Tory successor.
Speaking to The Chronicle from Australia, the dyed-in-the-wool Labourite said: "I have already been in touch with Alok Sharma to congratulate him on his election and to make arrangements for a smooth handover between our respective offices."
He called the result "disappointing" but said he was glad Labour did well in the council elections.
He added: "It was always going to be difficult for an inexperienced candidate from outside of Reading to make an impact, but I'm sure Naz Sarkar will have learned a great deal from the contest and I wish him well for the future."
He has written off the new Government as "a deluded alliance", predicting in his Telegraph blog that the coalition would not last two years, let alone five.
But he praised David Cameron for turning his party's fortunes around, Nick Clegg for "playing a blinder" in the negotiations and Gordon Brown for his dignified exit from Downing Street.
Mr Salter was one of the Labour figures speaking against a Lib-Lab pact on Tuesday, saying: "Labour could renew and rebuild in opposition under a new, more popular, leader."
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