Ed Miliband was due to launch our local election campaign in Cambridge today (April 8th) – but it was cancelled on the news of Lady Thatcher’s death.

I was asked to comment: “Love her or hate her, no-one can deny that Margaret Thatcher had a huge impact on British politics. Most of my early political life was spent on marches and demonstrations against her, to no great effect unfortunately, and there is no doubt that she polarised the nation. Her supporters will point to major structural changes in our economy from her period in office, but in my view we are now seeing the real legacy of those years of privatisation and the prioritisation of the financial sector over our manufacturing. She was a formidable political opponent, she had a real impact on the lives of many people – today marks the passing of an era.”