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Ed Miliband targeting Yardley as one of 14 Liberal Democrat seats across UK where Labour claims it can win at next election

Labour leader Ed Miliband is gunning for Birmingham Yardley MP John Hemming.

Yardley is one of 14 Liberal Democrat seats across the country where Labour claims it can win at the next General Election.

And the party is focusing on squeezing the Lib Dem vote with a series of campaign stunts.

They include a controversial party political broadcast showing Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg breaking his promises to the voters because he wants to be friends with posh Tories. Critics have accused Labour of class warfare because the film portrays David Cameron and colleagues as bullying, out-of-touch toffs.

Labour activists have also been supplied with props including signs to hold up in the shape of a coin showing Mr Clegg on one side and Mr Cameron on the other because they are two sides of the same coin.

And a senior Labour politician visited Birmingham Yardley on Saturday, in what Labour was calling a campaign action day.

But the party insists that behind the gimmicks is a serious message, It wants to highlight Government decisions to increase student tuition fees, cut tax on earnings above 100,000 from 50 per cent to 45 per cent and increase VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent, which were only possible with Lib Dem support, according to Labour.

Mr Hemming said he could win in Yardley again but urged supporters of other parties to back him.

He said: Yardley is a marginal seat. Only the Lib Dems or Labour can win.

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Labour set sights on Birmingham MP John Hemming