Conservatives' broken promises to industrial heartlands of England point to election wipe-out

Rishi Sunak will be campaign in the Midlands while Sir Keir Starmer is in south-east England on Monday (PA)

Andrew MacAskill and Andy Bruce

After the once-thriving coal and manufacturing town of Leigh in northern England voted for the Conservative Party for the first time at the last general election, locals hoped for a promised transformation of the area.

More than four years later and with three days until the next national election, the signs of economic hardship and neglect persist.