Tory politicians red-faced after telling residents to vote on wrong day in Lancashire

Tory politicians were left red-faced after they sent out an election leaflet telling residents to cast their ballots - on the wrong day.

The promotional material was posted through letter boxes in the Blackburn and Darwen area of Lancashire ahead of the local elections on Thursday (May 2).

But below a series of pledges to fix potholes and build further roads, the pamphlet instead told homeowners to “vote Conservative on Thursday 6 May”.

And even more bizarrely, the date the local party wrongly identified for the election will in fact fall on a Monday.

Kate Hollern, the Labour MP for Blackburn, said the bungled leaflet encapsulated more than a decade of chaos under the Conservative party.

She said: “This Tory leaflet error encapsulates the state of our country after 14 years of Tory chaos and rule. Mistake after mistake, failure after failure.

"Should this be something that surprises us?

“If you can't even trust the Tories to get a date right, imagine what they would do if entrusted with running your local services.

“The people of Blackburn with Darwen deserve better. They deserve Labour’s exceptional track record of delivering for local communities and businesses.

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“In Blackburn with Darwen, we are proud to have a strong, cohesive, and experienced team fighting on behalf of our local people to build a fairer, safer, and greener society for everyone.

“While Tory chaos has cost the country dearly, the best hope for our towns and answer to the crises in social housing, rising cost of living, and struggling NHS, is a bright future under a Labour Government.

“These local elections are the perfect opportunity to use our voices to send the Tories a message - the change this country desperately needs, starts now.”

Blackburn Conservative Association chair Julian Arnold said the local party’s proofreader was responsible for the blunder.

He told a local paper: "We hold our hands up. It is a typographical error.

"Our proof-reader failed to notice it.

"How typical of Kate Hollern to pick up on a minor typographical error but have nothing to say about the disastrous record and waste of Labour in Blackburn with Darwen."

A spokesperson from Blackburn Conservative Association added: "Firstly, may we apologise that this typographical error has taken place, and it was simply missed by our proof reader. The correct date appears on the leaflet in two other prominent positions.

"But this is a cynical attempt by Blackburn Labour and Kate Hollern to divert attention away from the mass defections of 9 councillors over the Palestinian issue and the independents, our polling shows, will make massive gains in the labour asian wards this Thursday, this is the real story of the local elections in Blackburn, and the disgraceful years of labour mismanagement of Blackburn Council.

"We are saddened to see our local MP, with one of the most disadvantaged constituencies in the UK and the major serious issues in her constituency has time to check our leaflets for typographical errors, not surprising of Kate Hollern MP."