Lynne Featherstone today sent a final email to residents in Hornsey and Wood Green, thanking them for giving her the opportunity to represent them.

Lynne was first elected as a Liberal Democrat councillor in Muswell Hill in 1998, and to the London Assembly in 2000. She overturned a 26,000 Labour majority to become the Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green in 2005.

Over the last 10 years, Lynne has been consistently recognised as one of the most responsive MPs, despite having one of the highest caseloads in the country. She worked with residents to protect local services like the Whittington A&E, and led successful campaigns to secure fairer funding for Haringey’s schools and health services.

As a minister over the last five years, Lynne Featherstone was the architect and originator of Equal Marriage, and launched the £35 million campaign to end FGM within a generation.

In her email to residents, Lynne Featherstone said:

“This will be my last email to you all.

And I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for our relationship over the last ten years whilst I was your MP.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve – both locally and nationally. I have had the opportunity to help people and to change the world a little bit for the better – the very reason I went into politics in the first place.

I know how hard it was for my left leaning constituents – because many of you told me on the doorstep – to decide between keeping me and your genuine fear that if you voted for me that we would get a Conservative government. Ironically we have one anyway.

And I know from my right leaning constituents how they feared a Labour government – so voted for me to try and have one less Labour seat.

I would ask one last favour of you – to watch Nick Clegg’s resignation speech if you have not seen it already. It says everything I think – much better than I can.

Over 7000 people have joined the Liberal Democrats since polling day – and I believe that is because there is a realisation that politics without a liberal voice is the poorer.

Again – thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve.”

The Labour candidate in Hornsey and Wood Green has resorted to desperate smears against the Liberal Democrat candidate, Lynne Featherstone – and is now facing possible legal action.

The letter to residents contained the false statement: “Lynne Featherstone…was even a minister in the Home Office when the disgraceful “Go Home” vans were sent out.”

At the time the vans went out (July 2013), Lynne Featherstone was in the Department for International Development, kick-starting the campaign to end FGM and fighting to protect the aid budget. Lynne Featherstone was a minister at DFID from September 2012 – November 2014.

Labour have been advised to immediately cease delivering the letters, and issue a retraction to all residents who’ve received the letter.

Failure to issue the retraction will lead to the matter being reported to the police – which would throw Labour’s campaign in Hornsey and Wood Green into turmoil.

In a statement to residents, Lynne Featherstone commented:

“Today, many residents received a letter from the Labour party – which contains false information.

“In it they say I was the Home Office minister at the time of the ‘go home’ vans. This is not true.

“My team and I are very upset with the lies and the desperate smears, which are being sent out by the local Labour campaign.

“Just to be clear – at the time the vans went out (July 2013) I was in the Department for International Development, kick-starting the campaign to end FGM and fighting to protect the aid budget. Had I been in the Home Office at this time – those awful vans would not have happened.

“As you know, I have been running a unity campaign here in Haringey, and have always been relentlessly positive about the benefits of immigration.

“Contrast this to Labour – sending out leaflets about their ‘tough new approach to immigration’ to the most diverse parts of this constituency, pledging to freeze immigrants out of welfare for 2 years, and that ‘control on immigration’ mug.

“We’re so upset by the lies, that we’ve decided we have to take action. I don’t believe politics and elections should be conducted like this. That’s why we’ve asked Labour to stop delivering the letter and issue a retraction to everyone who received it.”