AN upbeat Michael Howard has attacked Labour policy on the campaign trail in Bolton.

The Tory leader toured the Reebok Stadium before addressing shoppers at the Middlebrook Retail Park, both in education secretary Ruth Kelly's Bolton West constituency.

He addressed massed crowds from a platform alongside the constituency's Tory candidate Philip Allott and Adrian Mitchell, chairman of the North West Conservatives.

"Its great to be out of Westminster and in Bolton," the Conservative leader said.

Mr Howard spoke of plans to help first-time buyers gain a foot on the property ladder, tighten the country's immigration system, and cut council tax in half for pensioners aged over 65.

Badly

He said a Tory government would strive to find funding to extend Manchester's Metrolink system, adding: "The Labour Party has handled the whole thing pretty badly.

"The people of Manchester should feel let down. We would strive to find the funding to make it possible. It is what the people of Manchester want."

The Tory leader said an extra 2,200 police officers would be brought to Manchester, adding: "I would not advise yobs or burglars to vote Conservative in this election. "We would challenge the yobs." Mr Howard also said a Tory government would scrap Labour's early-release scheme, claiming 4,500 crimes have been committed by prisoners released from jail early.

The number of shared-ownership schemes, allowing people to buy a percentage of a mortgage then gradually boost it, would be increased and immigration would be capped, he said.

Mr Howard also called for a police force to govern the UK ports to control immigration.

What do you think of the Metrolink expansion scheme? Have your say.

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