NORTHERN Ireland secretary Shaun Woodward’s St Helens South and Whiston seat is a key target for the Liberal Democrats.

Their candidate is council leader Cllr Brian Spencer, who came second at the two previous elections, polling 7,814 in 2001 and 10,036 in 2005.

But, at the same time, Mr Woodward’s vote has also grown, from 16,799 in 2001 to 19,345 at the last poll.

However, Cllr Spencer says he is quietly confident of his chances, having seen a 5% increase in his share of the vote since 2001.

The Conservatives, who this year are fielding business woman Val Allen, with the hope the Tories’ resurgence in popularity and encroachment on the Labour government’s poll leads will reverse their trend in the seat.

But, since the advent of live TV leaders’ debates and the success of Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats may also hope to ride in on the crest of a national wave.

Labour’s chances of retaining the seat may, however, be aided by the boundary changes imposed which will see the seat include Whiston for the first time, which means that if the boundaries had changed before the 2005 poll, Labour would have had an increased majority from 54.5% to 55.5%.

Mr Woodward, who crossed the floor from the Tories in 2001, leaving the Whitney seat open for current Conservative leader David Cameron, said he was confident Labour had delivered for the town. He said: “In constituencies like this, I think what you see is what 13 years of Labour government has done for their lives.

“We’ve rebuilt schools and hospitals – things people thought were never going to happen, so in a sense it’s much easier for people in seats around Merseyside to see what is really at risk compared to those in the South-East who the Tories did spend money on.

“But people in the North West were abandoned.”