The former Northern Ireland secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, was on the campaign trail yesterday expounding the virtues of Labour's efforts to give young people a positive future. The prospective parliamentary candidate for Hartlepool was at the seaside town's lifeboat station to meet potential voters.
"The biggest change I have noticed since the last election is that there's more hope for young people and their future. The educational changes and the New Deal programme have made the biggest difference since 1997," he said. --(PA)