The Conservative candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn is in hot water with his party for adopting the colours of rivals Labour for his latest political leaflet.
Parliamentary candidate Cllr Simon Marcus, who also represents Hampstead Town on Camden Council, received a telling off from Tory HQ after printing his name in large red letters at the top of his latest newsletter.
The flyer, which has been dropping through letterboxes for the past two weeks, also uses bright red type for its “headline” message – Simon Backs Minimum Wage Rise! – while the Tory logo appears relatively small.
Cllr Marcus said the design fitted with his commitment to working class causes, such as the minimum wage, which he would like to see match the London Living Wage of £8.80 in the capital.
He said: “People see red as the colour of working class struggle and that’s what my fight to raise the minimum wage is about.
“That’s my territory. I am in politics to stand up for the man and woman in the street. Conservatism achieved more for working people than socialism ever has.”
But Cllr Tulip Siddiq, the Labour candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, said it showed the Tories were “out of ideas”.
“I think it’s a little strange,” she said. “If he’s trying to mislead the public into believing he’s anything but a Conservative, then he has underestimated the members of the constituency. People are not going to be fooled by red writing.”
Asked if she will use Tory blue for her own literature, she said: “Absolutely not – everything I own is red and my values are also red.
“I don’t need to steal other parties’ colours, because I’m proud of my own.”
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