Redruth Undecided As Tories Hold Upper Hand

Redruth and Camborne has shown remarkable fluctuations over recent years, and is the scene of a bitter battle in which all three parties are not without hope (and UKIP has a look-in too).

The seat (previously known as Falmouth and Camborne) was Conservative until 1997 - Seb Coe was the MP; then Labour until 2005 when Julia Goldsworthy took it for the Lib Dems.

In 2010 it was the scene of one of the closest battles of the whole election - amid recrimination and accusations of dirty tricks, the Conservative George Eustice took the seat by a mere 50 votes.

This time, if the most recent Lord Ashcroft polling is to believed (his survey was carried out in late March), the Lib Dem support has fallen back significantly and Labour are the Conservatives' most realistic challengers.

I visited the seat midway through the second week of the campaign, jumping ahead of the Lib Dem battle bus which stopped off to allow Nick Clegg and the travelling press pack a few moments of respite from the political fray, larking about in the treetops of Go Ape near Exeter.

By the time I reached Redruth it was already late afternoon and the town centre was near deserted.

The Lib Dems' hope for a late surge rests on the idea there are large numbers of undecided voters here who can be persuaded to back them at the death.

Among the smattering of locals I managed to speak to, the bulk were uncertain or uninspired by the options confronting them.

None of the key protagonists is giving up, but there is little doubt that the Conservatives hold the upper hand just weeks from the finish line.