Brown faces political derailment at Crewe

By Tim Castle

CREWE (Reuters) - The historic railway town of Crewe could earn another claim to fame if it deals Labour a defeat in a parliamentary election there next week.

Thursday's contest in the Labour-held constituency, 150 miles northwest of London, has taken on a significance outweighing its potential damage to Gordon Brown's 67-member majority in the House of Commons.

The campaign is attracting intense national media coverage with the Conservatives trying to extend their wave of success and achieve their first by-election gain for 26 years.

Defeat in Crewe would further undermine Brown's position, already weakened by sliding poll ratings and a self-inflicted row over a tax change that hurt the poorest.

The battleground combines the affluent and picturesque market town of Nantwich and its grimmer, more working class neighbour Crewe, once dominated by the railway industry and still a major rail junction.

Supermarkets and housing developments now stand where once thousands of steam engines were built for the Victorian rail network.

Just 650 people work at the remaining railway factory that at one time employed 20,000.

The seat was held for 34 years by no-nonsense Labour traditionalist Gwyneth Dunwoody, a favourite among local voters, who died aged 77 last month.