THE Conservatives say they have launched their most determined and energetic General Election campaign in York for decades.

Robert McIlveen, Tory candidate for York Central, claimed Labour had been able to take the seat for granted for too long.

"Not this time," he said. "I am fighting a positive campaign on York's economic potential and how a Conservative government will ensure our city grows and thrives."

He said the Conservatives last won in the centre of York - the old City of York seat - in 1987, and had come second at the last General Election, but he believed the time had come for the party's revival in the heart of the city.

He claimed that as he and his supporters had been out knocking on doors and surveying, they had been getting a 'really positive' response.

"Even more encouragingly, it's clear that Labour have alienated a lot of their former supporters, many of whom are coming over to us," he said.

"With a strong set of council candidates in place in wards across the city, we are campaigning across York Central - and campaigning to win."

He claimed that a commitment to the York Central Housing Zone and the 'Northern Powerhouse' driven by infrastructure investment meant that a Conservative Government would truly enable York to thrive.

"A Conservative council here in the City of York would also help by focusing on the important issues, not the vanity projects and weak leadership we have seen from the Labour led administration.

"You can't have well-funded public services without a strong economy, so my plan is for York to have both."