LABOUR MP Andrew Smith tonight insisted there was “all to play for” in the run-up to next year’s General Election.

Speaking after The Sun publicly backed David Cameron’s Tory Party for the first time since 1997, Mr Smith said there was a touch of arrogance in the way the paper had nailed its colours to the mast.

And rather than it being a foregone conclusion, he insisted voters would be forced to think long and hard before putting their crosses on the ballot paper.

Mr Smith did not attend his party’s annual conference in Brighton, preferring to spend time knocking on doors in his Oxford East constituency.

And he claimed support for the Labour Government was still evident.

He said: “On the whole Oxford is a pretty prosperous place and has done well in the Labour years with investment in local schools, hospitals and universities.

“People will think very carefully before putting that level of investment at risk — people will be more sensitive here to the Tory threat of public expenditure cuts.

“When the Tories talk about cuts and savings they are ideologically driven — we have a clear vision for the future.

“David Cameron has done an able job putting a gloss on things, but what lies beneath?

“A generation of voters can’t remember what happened last time, but those who can are starting to ask questions.”

Mr Smith has a majority of just 963 — slashed from 10,000 at the 2001 General Election — making his seat one of the most marginal in the country.

Mr Smith said: “People are less likely to be influenced per se about what The Sun says than they were 10 years ago.

“It would not surprise me at all if there were many more variations in results between constituencies than we have had before.

“There is a note of arrogance in what The Sun is saying — why shouldn’t its readers decide for themselves? I don’t think they like being dictated to.

“The message we have to get across to the public is that we are united and dedicated to the country’s interests and have the vision and policies to deliver high-quality services and advancing social justice.”

Ed Argar, the Conservative Party’s parliamentary candidate for Oxford East, said: “Sadly, the Prime Minister’s speech showed how bankrupt this Government is when it comes to vision — it was just a long shopping list without any costing.”

Steve Goddard, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Oxford East, said: “Labour are running out of steam and ideas, and the few ideas they have are being stolen from the Liberal Democrats.”

Peter Tatchell, the Green Party parliamentary candidate, said: “Brown’s was a rousing speech to the party faithful, but disappointing in terms of the policies offered to the public.”