David Kirwan, who was the first Independent candidate to announce he was standing at the height of the MPs’ Expenses Scandal, said only he could guarantee his constituents that he would represent their interests 100 per cent.

David, a successful local businessman and Independent Councillor, said he has the experience and passion to ensure that the constituents of Wirral West are heard at Westminster.

David said: “By standing as a truly Independent candidate in Wirral West, I have given voters a very clear choice.

“Voters can either vote for another five years of the same old tired, discredited politics of the Tories, Labour or Lib Democrats – or they can cast their vote for someone who cares passionately about this constituency and its people.

“If elected on Thursday, I guarantee you that I will campaign and work tirelessly to ensure that every one of your voices is heard at Westminster.

“Unlike the other candidates, I am not tied to any party political machine or whip. I will be your voice in Parliament.

“I make this final pledge to you, the voter: Vote for me on Thursday and I will not let you down. I will represent you and your interests 100 per cent. I will be there for you both locally and at Westminster. I will listen to you and your families. I will champion your businesses. Most of all, you will know that you have an MP who is at Westminster for you, not to line his own pockets. And you will know that I will be there for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

David’s campaign has successfully embraced both traditional and modern campaigning techniques.

David said: “With limited resources and a small team of volunteers, we have run the most dynamic campaign in Wirral West.

“We have harnessed internet campaigns, traditional advertising and door to door leafleting with some great media coverage and even an ad scooter criss-crossing the constituency.

“We hope our campaign has helped encourage voters - young and old - to cast their vote in this crucial election.

“We have certainly had a terrific response everywhere we have gone on the campaign trail.”

David spoke out following the news that police have launched 50 criminal inquiries nationwide amid allegations of electoral rolls packed with “bogus” voters.

In some of the cases, Labour supporters stand accused of packing the electoral roll at the last minute with relatives living overseas or simply inventing phantom voters.

David Kirwan, who is fighting a high profile campaign in the Labour marginal of Wirral West, said: “It is appalling to think that constituencies could be decided by electoral fraud.

“Despite numerous examples of similar activity in recent elections, the Labour government has failed to get to grips with this massive problem.

“This is just the latest example of corruption and sleaze infecting our political system and another reason why only the election of genuinely independent voices to Parliament can help to restore Westminster’s tattered reputation.”

Camilla Cavendish, a top writer with The Times newspaper, spoke out in favour of independent candidates in her Monday column headlined “I want the West Wing, not The Office politics”.

Camilla wrote: “Unless we improve the quality of both legislature and executive, we are doomed to be disillusioned with our politics. We need better people in government. We need to be better at holding them to account. We need more independent-minded local MPs who reflect voters’ views.”

Kirwans has issued a Letter of Claim to Howard Cooper, the Director of Children’s Services at Wirral Council, calling for Andrew Hall to be reinstated as head at the school.

If this does not happen, the letter goes on to demand the following actions:

• determine the complaint made against Mr Hall including any sanction;
• establish how appropriate staffing levels are to be maintained at the school;
• commence arrangements to formally answer the complaint made against Wirral Council and the school’s Governors.

Kirwans has given Mr Cooper a time frame of no more than 21 days to respond to all of the above points. Should the Council fail to comply, Kirwans says it will launch Judicial Review proceedings.

The action is being brought in the name of David Wilkes, a senior teacher at the school, but has the support of a “substantial” number of other teachers, support staff and parents, angered by the treatment of Mr Hall. Mr Hall has been suspended since October last year.

The Letter of Claim alleges that an investigation and subsequent report, running to 400 pages, cleared Mr Hall of any wrongdoing. Further allegations were then said to have been made, details of which have not been made clear to either teachers or staff.

The school’s Chair of Governors, Margaret Twemlow declined to provide teachers with transcripts of statements she read to staff during the Autumn term and, more recently cancelled a meeting scheduled for after February half-term.

There has also been no annual meeting or publication of an annual report and both Mrs Twemlow and Mr Cooper are accused in the Letter of Claim of “obfuscation and prevarication” in failing to answer requests for information.

The Letter of Claim accuses Wirral Council of acting unlawfully and says the Governors and Council have:

• failed to investigate the complaint against Mr Hall in a timely manner;
• failed to keep staff and parents properly informed of developments;
• failed in their duty to maintain appropriate staffing levels at the school.

David Kirwan, Senior Partner at Kirwans and Prospective Independent MP for Wirral West, said: “Staff, parents and children have been left in the dark for long enough.

“It is simply unacceptable that Mr Hall remains suspended after almost seven months and that staff and parents have had no explanation as to what is going on with their headteacher.

“Calday Grammar is one of the oldest and most successful schools in the region, but the Council and Governors are damaging this reputation by allowing these matters to continue with no sign of an end in sight.

“Our Letter of Claim gives the Director of Children’s Services 21 days to respond to the areas where we believe they have acted unlawfully.”

On Monday night, David spoke passionately during a hustings held at St Mary’s Church in Upton on a range of issues including the arms trade, international development, Christianity and the environment, while last night he was invited to address Unison members at St Michael’s in Pensby.

In the highest profile campaign of any of the Wirral West candidates, David has had campaign vehicles criss-crossing the constituency including an ad-scooter and a Renault Clio complete with audio messages. Both have been receiving applause and cheers as they tour around key battlegrounds in the constituency including Pensby and the Woodchurch Estate.

David said: “We may not have Lord Ashcroft’s millions to spend on our campaign, but I have no doubt at all that we have run the smartest, most energetic and highest profile campaign of any of the candidates.

“Everywhere we go we are receiving messages of support and warm applause. Our ad-scooter almost brought the Woodchurch Estate to a standstill yesterday, it was so popular!”

The Prospective Independent MP for Wirral West said the Prime Minister had shown himself yet again to be out of touch with the electorate after rudely dismissing Mrs Duffy as a “bigoted woman”.

David Kirwan said: “Gillian Duffy was merely airing the frustrations and concerns of millions of voters when she raised the issue of immigration yesterday. Talking about the pressures caused by so many immigrants entering our country should not cause you to be labelled a bigot.

“Gordon Brown said he wanted to get out and meet more ordinary people, but as soon as he does he didn’t like what he heard. It is clear that he finds the truth too painful to stomach.

“The good news is that we only have a week left to put up with this failed and discredited Government and for voters to cast their votes for politicians who can restore honesty, decency and a hard working ethos to our democracy.

“This is the message Independent candidates such as myself are promoting and finding thousands of voters warming to as we travel around our respective constituencies.”

David outlined his views on a range of issues including schools and hospitals, immigration, business, crime and older people.

He also reaffirmed his view that the traditional parties - Tories, Labour and the Liberal Democrats - are only interested in looking after themselves, “shoring up a broken, discredited system”.

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A number of leading Independent candidates have joined forces to apply for judicial review over the corporation’s decision to focus on the three main parties.

BBC journalists say they are working to the corporation’s policy of giving “due weight to candidates of parties which have demonstrated substantial electoral support” in their constituency.

However, a leading lawyer and Independent candidate for the marginal seat of Wirral West, said the policy was a “total nonsense”.

David Kirwan, whose law firm Kirwans is spearheading the legal action, said: “I am running the highest profile campaign of any candidate in Wirral West. Other local media have recognised this, but the BBC’s inflexible policy means that candidates such as myself are starved of airtime.

“How does the BBC know that I do not have substantial electoral support? I have not seen them out and about in the constituency asking for people’s political persuasions. Even Ladbroke’s has me ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

“The BBC seems completely out of touch with the mood of the country for change. Most people have had enough of the old politics and the broken promises. But the BBC is out of step with voters by not reflecting this mood.”

Another Independent candidate supporting the legal action is Jonathan Starkey, who is standing in the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Mr Starkey contacted BBC Radio Merseyside to enquire about the possibility of some coverage for his campaign and policies, only to be emailed the BBC’s policy.

Mr Starkey said: “They sent me their election policy and added that I could always try ringing the station’s lunchtime phone-in show if I wanted to have a go at getting on air.

“It is appalling that at a time when the country is crying out for change, the BBC is providing so much airtime to the three traditional parties.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information, please contact Nick Mason or Gary Quinn at Mason Media on 0151 239 5050.

Staff at Calday Grange Grammar School have instructed David Kirwan to act on their behalf - six months after Head Andrew Hall was suspended by the Board of Governors.

Since then, staff at the school have been prohibited from making contact with Mr Hall amid rumours that an investigation including a substantial report cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Teachers say the impending departure of Acting Head Mike Skelly in May will cause Wirral’s oldest surviving grammar school to be placed in further limbo with summer GCSE and A-level examinations looming.

David Kirwan, Senior Partner at Kirwans Solicitors, said: “It is quite simply staggering that a school with such a wonderful reputation and rich history could have been allowed to descend into such chaos.

“This power struggle must have caused untold stress to Mr Hall, the teachers, other members of staff, many hundreds of parents and, most critically of all, the children who attend Calday Grange.

“It is simply unacceptable that such uncertainty should have been allowed to drag on for such a length of time.”

Mr Kirwan, who is standing as Prospective MP for Wirral West, said he believed there was a strong case for the granting of a Judicial Review to challenge the decision to suspend Mr Hall.

He added: “The governors owe it to the staff, parents and pupils to lift the cloak of secrecy surrounding the ongoing suspension of Mr Hall, especially amid rumours that the investigation into the matter exonerated the Head some three months ago.”

One teacher at the school said: “Calday Grange Grammar School needs the cloud lifting from it. It was readily apparent from the outset that students, staff and parents wanted Mr Hall to be reinstated and cleared of any allegations of wrongdoing.”