Nigel Huddleston, friend or foe?

Between now and the General Election on May 7 I'm highlighting a series of 'target seats', those where the candidate standing for re-election has supported anti-tobacco policies, and those where a leading candidate is an opponent of excessive lifestyle regulations and policies that infantilise us all. With a few exceptions I'm focussing on marginal or semi-marginal seats.

#33 – Mid Worcestershire
I have a special reason for wanting Nigel Huddleston to win this safe Conservative seat. In November 2009 I wrote: "Yesterday, at the invitation of the local Licensed Victuallers Association (LVA) which represents independent licensees, we held a Save Our Pubs & Clubs meeting at The Bramingham pub in Luton. The meeting was well attended and we made some very useful contacts including Nigel Huddleston, Conservative PPC for Luton South, who even donned a SOPAC t-shirt for the obligatory photograph. Registering his support for our campaign, Nigel said: "We've had enough of Gordon Brown's nanny state. Politicians should respect people's freedom to choose." He failed to win Luton South in 2010 but more than halved the Labour majority, prompting me to write: "Nigel had the bottle to support our Save Our Pubs & Clubs initiative - he was even prepared to have his photograph taken while wearing a fetching yellow campaign t-shirt. Your day will come, Nigel, have no fear." That day has now come.

2010 majority: 15,864 (31.1%)
Estimated number of smokers in Mid Worcestershire: 14,428*.
Principal opponent: Liberal Democrat
Friend or foe: Friend
Target rating: Good

*Based on 20% of the registered electorate in 2010

Note: marginal seats have been defined as those with majorities of 10% or less that require a swing of 5% for the incumbent party to lose.