CELEBRITY cook Delia Smith lent her backing to Labour yesterday, appearing alongside Ed Miliband in Brighton as he sought to convince voters that the NHS would crumble under a Conservative government.

In the second day running during which political leaders have focused on Sussex, Ms Smith, 73, spoke at a Labour rally in Hove while the Prime Minister toured Eastbourne and Hastings.

The chef told the audience at Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College: “We are, as a nation, in grave danger of losing this precious thing that we have, the national health service.”

The Labour leader echoed that thought, saying the NHS was “fighting for its life" because of choices this Government has made, adding: “David Cameron calls his record a success. It’s not a success. It’s a disgrace.”

The future of the NHS has been at the centre of the election campaign as the parties seek to convince voters they will protect it.

Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have pledged they will find the £8 billion health chiefs say is needed by 2020 to prevent it buckling.

Labour has refused to commit to providing the same amount but insists it will do “what is necessary” and says its £2.5 billion spending plans are the only fully-funded proposals put forward so far.

Yet the Prime Minister focused on the economy as he spent the morning in Hastings and Eastbourne, where he visited the under-construction Bexhill-to-Hastings link road and spoke to voters.

David Cameron said there were 243,000 more people in work in the South East than in 2010, and harked back to his repeated warning that voting for other parties would result in a Labour government “propped up” by the Scottish National Party.

He said: “Keep with us, and we’ll cut your taxes, create more jobs and deliver a secure future. But that will only happen if you vote Conservative on May 7.”

Over the weekend, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, chancellor George Osborne and Mr Miliband also visited Sussex, home to several marginal seats.

Background

It is no surprise that Mr Miliband is focusing attention on Brighton and Hove – its three seats are all marginal, as is nearby Lewes.

The Labour leader told supporters in March that it was vital for his party to win back all three seats – currently held by the Conservatives and Greens – if he were to become the country’s next Prime Minister.

Hastings is also a marginal seat, held by Labour’s Michael Foster from 1997 until the 2010 election when the incumbent Amber Rudd gained 41.1% of the vote with to Labour’s 37.1 %.