Grant Shapps confirms that 20 of the 40 Tory target seats are Lib Dem held

On the Sunday Politics just now, Grant Shapps confirmed to Andrew Neil The Spectator’s story that 20 of the 40 Tory target seats at the next election are Liberal Democrat held. Shapps stressed that it was nothing personal about the Liberal Democrats but just a reflection of what needed to be done if the Tories were to win a majority.

When asked why voters in Liberal Democrat Ministers constituencies should prefer a Tory majority to the current coalition, Shapps cited the need to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights as well as the global economic race. This suggests that these issues will form an important part of the Tory message to swing voters in Lib Dem / Tory marginals.

Today’s big Tory story is the news that Lynton Crosby is coming in as a campaign consultant. Under questioning, Shapps revealed that the party was not placing limitations on the other corporate work that Crosby does.