Jack Straw takes to his soapbox

Justice secretary Jack Straw stepped onto a soapbox to pitch for Black Country votes.

Instead of tweeting on Twitter and facing-off on Facebook he went back to basics in Wolverhampton's Queen Square.

Accompanied by city Labour candidates Rob Marris and Emma Reynolds and activists, Mr Straw gave a brief speech before taking questions. He said: "I have been speaking on my soapbox in my wonderful constituency of Blackburn for the last 27 years and I believe it is the best form of public involvement.

"This election is not a referendum on 13 years of Labour, it is a choice between two alternatives for the future of Britain and the future of Wolverhampton.

"We launched our manifesto in a new hospital, the Conservatives launched their manifesto in a derelict power station."

Mr Straw told a steadily growing crowd Labour had "picked the NHS up off its knees" and improved standards in education. He said around two thirds of youngsters in Wolverhampton left school with five good GCSEs today, up from 50 per cent in 1997.

On crime, the justice secretary said: "This country is still not safe enough, one crime is one crime too many, one victim is one victim too many.

"But more people are being locked up and being locked up for longer which is one of the reasons crime has gone down."

Mr Straw challenged residents to guess how many more prisoners were in jail in 2010 than had been 13 years ago, offering five tickets to see Burnley reserves for the nearest try.

"Before anyone accuses me of bribery, I should point out that is a punishment," Mr Straw, a supporter of the Clarets' bitter rivals Blackburn Rovers, said before revealing 86,000 people were behind bars today compared to 60,000 in 1997.

Mr Straw acknowledged "the country and Wolverhampton" had endured difficult times amid the recession but attributed the crisis to a "financial tsunami which hit the world". He claimed Gordon Brown had led the global response.

Inviting questions, Mr Straw ended his speech by saying: "Wolverhampton is a better place for the fact it has had a Labour government and Labour MPs.

"I ask you to secure your future by voting for Labour on May 6."

Dean Curtis, a 47-year-old Royal Mail worker from Bearwood, challenged Mr Straw's assertion world events were to blame for the recession.

He said: "Why doesn't Gordon Brown say sorry for the fact he allowed light touch regulation of the banks which led to the crisis?"

Mr Straw replied: "If you are asking do I wish, does Gordon Brown wish we had had tighter regulation of the banking sector, of course we do. Am I sorry about it? Of course I am.

"But the truth is tighter regulation would have made a bit of difference but not that much given how the banks were covering up what was going on."

Sandra Wellings asked what a Labour government would do for pensioners - whom she dubbed "the forgotten people" - if the party won an historic fourth term.

Mr Straw told the 62-year-old, of Fordhouses, Wolverhampton: "You mustn't hit me for saying this. If you look overall over the past 13 years we have done a great deal for pensioners."

He cited the winter fuel allowance and free bus and train travel as policies which have benefited "the grey vote" - so-called by Mrs Wellings.

Other questions included a call for university tuition fees to be abolished - Mr Straw said they would remain - and a query about incapacity benefit. Mr Straw said Labour would clamp down on rogue claimants.

Closing the impromptu event Mr Straw was given a warm round of applause by the gathered crowd of around 200 people before he agreed to pose for pictures with supporters.