Crawley politicians in panto row

THE first political argument in Crawley's general election campaign has broken out - over a pantomime.

Tory candidate Henry Smith has slammed Crawley MP Laura Moffatt after she put forward a parliamentary motion and stood up in the House of Commons to congratulate a Gatwick-based charity on 20 years of hard work.

Mr Smith has labelled the move to congratulate the Gatwick Airport Pantomime Society (GAPS) on its 20th anniversary a "silly stunt", claiming it was "embarrassing" for the town.

But Mrs Moffatt has fought back, saying she expected "better leadership" from the West Sussex County Council leader and slammed him for trying to score "cheap political points".

Mr Smith said: "This is embarrassing for Crawley. Sure, it's great that the Gatwick Pantomime Society has been successfully going for 20 years, but a letter of congratulations from the MP would be more appropriate rather than wasting parliamentary time on such a stunt.

"If Mrs Moffatt really wants to represent the interests of Crawley in parliament then she should put down a motion calling for a new town hospital, or better support to Crawley's unemployed.

"An MP should be elected to represent people's real concerns and issues, not waste time on what is truly a silly stunt."

Mrs Moffatt submitted the Early Day Motion (EDM) to voice her support for the charity, which puts on pantomimes to raise money for local charities.

An EDM is a formal motion which is submitted for debate in the House of Commons.

Mrs Moffatt has defended her actions, saying: "I was disappointed if not completely surprised, that Mr Smith decided to ridicule on my support of excellent local organisations.

"Clearly he doesn't agree with the Conservative MPs who have signed the motion, praising the charitable work done by this society over the past 20 years."

She added: "I have always campaigned for the needs of people in Crawley and I always will.

"Speaking as a resident I would certainly be looking for better leadership from the leader of my county council instead of scoring cheap political points in such a way.

"It takes 2 minutes to put down an EDM, and Mr Smith's statement is an insult to all the hard work, time and effort put in by GAPS to raise so much money for Crawley charities."

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