IN a bid to win over voters, the Tories' would-be MP for Watford vowed he would work to keep Harefield Hospital open if elected in May.

On Tuesday, February 22, the Conservative campaign trail hit Watford, with Tories braving the snow to canvass support.

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Ali Miraj met with Heart of Harefield campaigner, Jean Brett, to discuss the fate of the hospital, which both Tony Blair and Claire Ward have said should close.

Mrs Brett said supporters had reached a crucial moment in their campaign. She said: "Heart of Harefield is non-political. But for the first time in five years of campaigning, I have to say someone has crossed a line and it's not acceptable. What we cannot accept is the arrogance of ignorance. Claire Ward has refused to meet with our vice-chairman, who runs a charity at Harefield."

She added Harefield had world-renowned specialist heart services.

She said: "Ali Miraj is not jumping on the bandwagon. He has met with me for the past two years to discuss the hospital. The behaviour from the present MP has been hostile."

Her comments come only weeks after the Prime Minister said Harefield Hospital should be closed and the facilities moved to a superhospital at Paddington.

Mrs Brett added the new hospital was expected to have only 799 inpatient beds, at a cost of more than £1billion. "That is not value for money," she said.

Mr Miraj said he believed the hospital should not be moved to Paddington a project that has been criticised because of its spiralling cost.

He said: "It is another Millennium Dome waiting to happen. It smacks of total incompetence. This is a world-renowned hospital. It seems incredible the Government would want to close it and move it to the centre of London. It's totally inappropriate. It's a crazy plan we must keep Harefield."

MP for Hertsmere James Clappison said he was concerned that by moving the hospital, it was going to adversely affect the existing facilities. He said: "We are going to lose a lot of things that are hard to replace."

Mrs Brett said: "We built it, we kept it going when they didn't want it, now they want it in London because it's a big name."

She added figures showed only 7.1 per cent of staff said they would be willing to relocate to London.

Mrs Brett said: "It has been a great disappointment that Claire Ward has been unwilling to listen to our views throughout the time she has been Watford's MP. Not least because as health minister John Hutton's Parliamentary Private Secretary, she could have arranged for him to see our representatives.

"It has also been sad to listen to the disillusionment of normally keen Labour supporters with the Government."