In the tightly fought battle for the Hornsey and Wood Green constituency, the Liberal Democrats have received the support of prominent writer and film maker Tariq Ali, who says he will be backing the party in the forthcoming General Election. Mr Ali, who lives in the constituency, is a long-time critic of the Government over the war in Iraq.

The move will come as a blow to the local Labour party as it battles to hold on to the seat. Writing in the Guardian on Saturday, Mr Ali says:

“Those who opposed the war must think carefully before they cast their votes. Abstention is not a serious option. The aim should be to return an anti-war majority to the House of Commons. This requires tactical/intelligent voting in every constituency.”

He is also highly critical of the local Labour MP’s record:

“In the warmonger constituencies we should vote tactically. In my north London constituency, the MP is Barbara Roche: pro-war and pro everything else this wretched government has done. I don’t simply want to vote against her. I want her to be defeated. That is why I will vote Liberal Democrat.”

Local Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesperson Lynne Featherstone comments:

“This is yet another sign that more and more people are moving towards the Liberal Democrats in this election. With many websites urging people to defeat pro-war Labour candidates such as our sitting Labour MP, this is a welcome boost from a very prominent campaigner.”