MP Edward Timpson says ‘dirty tricks’ by Labour activists during this year’s election campaign were even worse than the 2008 Crewe and Nantwich by-election,

The re-elected Conservative has hit out at tactics he says were used by Labour during this year’s campaign and called for more positive campaigning in the next election.

“Bearing in mind that at the count itself, after the result, there was a suggestion from the Labour Party that it had been a clean fight, well, in my view and from the experience I had during the election, this was actually worse than the by-election,” said Mr Timpson.

He referred to a number of incidents including a Labour leaflet implying he had done little to support the phone mast campaign in Wistaston.

The leaflet quoted one unnamed resident as saying they were convinced if Gwyneth Dunwoody was still MP and not Tory Edward Timpson, then the mast would never have received the go-ahead.

That had provoked such outrage from the mast campaigners they had printed their own leaflet and distributed it saying what a help Mr Timpson had been.

“Towards the back-end of the campaign I was being followed and filmed by Labour activists,” said Mr Timpson.

“And the one I found strangest of all was the debate at South Cheshire College. The student who was sitting on the panel along with the three main candidates, I was led to believe, was a representative of the student body. He turned out to be a member of the local Labour Youth who was splashed all over with Labour Party leaflets and was even one of the people who nominated the Labour candidate.”

Mr Timpson says he does not want to see such campaigning anywhere again.

“There were a number of things which happened during this campaign which I don’t want to see happen again, whether it’s to me or any other candidate,” said Mr Timpson. “From my point of view it was not a clean fight in terms of what was coming my way.”

Labour’s David Williams told the Chronicle the comments in the mast leaflet were the genuine views of a local resident.

He added the campaign was over and: “I think Mr Timpson won convincingly and should accept his victory graciously.”