George Osborne 'paralysis' warning with hung parliament

Shadow chancellor George Osborne toured the Corus steelworks

Shadow chancellor George Osborne has warned a hung parliament would mean economic paralysis and hit Wales hard.

At the Corus steel plant at Port Talbot he admitted cynicism about whether a change of government would change anything was the Tories' main opponent.

Elsewhere, Labour's Peter Hain spoke of the need for electoral reform, and Liberal Democrats said the Nick Clegg effect had been "like Christmas".

Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru urged more support for former service personnel.

Mr Osborne was at Corus a day after Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlined Labour plans for economic recovery.

He said Tories would stop Labour's "jobs tax" and get the economy moving again.

The shadow chancellor said a hung parliament after the 6 May poll would force the parties to have to negotiate over Labour's proposal, which big employers like Corus were against.

We want to create jobs, not destroy jobs, support the recovery, not kill it off... we've got to stop the jobs tax Shadow Chancellor George Osborne

He said: "It's our number one priority and we're going to stop it... but we've got to avoid the economic paralysis that comes from a hung parliament."

"As we saw earlier this week Wales has very high unemployment, higher than other parts of the United Kingdom, and what we really want is to create jobs.

"And if the people who are going to create jobs are warning us that is a jobs tax, then what on earth is Gordon Brown thinking of introducing it.

"We want to create jobs, not destroy jobs, support the recovery, not kill it off. We've got to stop the jobs tax."

Mr Osborne also said there was "no question" of Tories slashing public service jobs in Wales, rather he said they would cut jobs by not filling posts as they become vacant.

That will go some way towards binding voters back together with their politicians and breaking down this tremendous distrust Welsh Secretary Peter Hain on Labour proposals for electoral reform

Ahead of the second TV leaders' debate in Bristol, he said David Cameron must "be himself and show people that he is ready to be prime minister in just two weeks' time.

"They (voters) want to see from David the kind of politics we need to get the Welsh economy moving again," said Mr Osborne.

Labour Welsh Secretary Peter Hain, campaigning in Newport East, said politicians had to rebuild trust with voters after the "terrible expenses scandal".

"It's not just a question of cleaning up the expenses system, which is what we've done," said Mr Hain.

"It's also making sure we have a voting system whereby each MP has to win a majority of local voters, by reforming the electoral system, and by reforming the House of Lords which is unelected to make it elected, and by making sure we have fixed term parliaments so that the voters are in charge.

We train them up to a very high standard, as of course we should, but we need to debrief them properly on the way out [of the services] Elfyn Llwyd, Plaid Cymru, on the plight of ex-service personnel

"I think that will go some way towards binding voters back together with their politicians and breaking down this tremendous distrust."

Plaid Cymru focused on the problems faced by former service personnel after they have returned to civilian life, and those who end up in prison.

Plaid parliamentary leader Elfyn Llwyd said it was a massive problem which he came across after noticing large numbers being convicted of serious offences they had committed with "no real explanation".

"Then I found out that that roughly about 10% of the prison [population] comprised ex-servicemen and women," he said.

"We train them up to a very high standard, as of course we should, but we need to debrief them properly on the way out [of the services]: check for mental health, drug, alcohol, debt problems, ensure they have houses to go to, that they reintegrate with their family and society, jobs to go to, opportunities for reskilling and so on.

"All this is very patchy indeed: some pockets of good practice, others nothing at all. It needs to be far more uniform and we need to approach it in a far more integrated and holistic approach."

Rural services have been sledgehammered under Labour - the loss of post offices, rural transport - these are the issues that matter to people Mark Williams, Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrats highlighted rural issues, and candidate Mark Williams said among the many which affected countryside areas were the viability of the family farm.

Mr Williams said many families were leaving the countryside, largely because of the pricing mechanisms of supermarkets, adding "that's one of the reasons why Liberal Democrats have been championing the cause of the farming ombudsman".

"Rural services have been sledgehammered under Labour - the loss of post offices, rural transport - these are the issues that matter to people."

Mr Williams also spoke about the impact of Nick Clegg's performance in the first televised leaders' debate.

"I think we were doing very well in Ceredigion before Nick Clegg's performance," he said.

"But then very suddenly to shoot up in those polls by anything up to 16% , putting us in second place. That hasn't happened since the days of the old Liberal SDP Alliance.

"It's been like Christmas - lots of presents, friendly handshakes, thumbs up from cars: real enthusiasm for the essential message that we need change, we need something different."