German: on the attack

The opening shots of the Welsh assembly election have been fired as the parties gear-up for the May 1 poll.

While the national assembly continues to

All parties have moved swiftly to attack their opponents, with harsh words being traded in the early stages of the campaign.

The Conservatives in Wales officially launch their campaign today - with an attack on Labour's record on waiting lists.

Nick Bourne, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly, will mount the attack during a visit to a hospital in Barry.

But the Lib Dems last night moved to portray his party was "inward-looking".

As the Tories published their manifesto for the election Mike German, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in the assembly, said it was "a rag-bag collection, looking backwards at what has been tried before, and failed".

"When it looks to the future, it is meaningless and vague. Above all, the Conservatives are trying to ignore the most relevant fact from the past - that while they were in government for 18 years, they relentlessly hacked back public services, cutting spending on hospitals and schools and squeezing local authorities," he said.

"When Iain Duncan Smith's Conservatives claim to be fighting for the vulnerable, it all sounds like the wolf pretending to be kind to Little Red Riding Hood."