attack on "the complacency, the corruption and the poltroonery of the Tory Government". He pointed to the two largest employers of the constituency, coal-mining and steel production, and asserted that the Conservatives were hacking away at both. The other parties attempted to make political capital out of the differences between Foot and the Labour leadership. Lort-Phillips claimed Gaitskell had "signed his political death warrant" by opting to fight against the conference decision to support unilateralism, and that an effective opposition was needed. There was speculation that Foot might lose 10,000 votes because of his stance on unilateralism, although The Times correspondent could not detect any sign of crisis among the electorate. Foot and his wife were also concerned that anger over the incompetence of Ebbw Vale council, run by Labour, would lead to abstentions. At a public meeting, one of the Labour canvassers asked Foot how to deal with those who disagreed with his stance on nuclear weapons, given Bevan's opposition to a unilateralist motion in 1957. Foot invited constituents to discuss the matter with him personally, and pointed out that the British government had abandoned attempts to produce its own delivery system for nuclear warheads. Rhys Williams concentrated his campaign on talking to voters individually in pubs and clubs, where he claimed to receive a friendly welcome. He invited Joan Vickers, who had defeated Foot in Plymouth in 1955, to speak for him. Lort-Phillips, who claimed to have "a secret league of potential Liberals" at Richard Thomas & Baldwins, invited his party leader Jo Grimond to speak for him; Grimond did not accept. His attitude was thought to be influenced by Lort-Phillips' stance on nuclear arms although late in the campaign he sent a very general letter of support. Personal attacks After some speculation over what the contents of such a message would be, Hugh Gaitskell sent his letter of support to Foot on 11 November. It wished Foot "all good luck", frankly accepting that they were not in agreement on defence and foreign policy, but asserting that any differences were "confined to a narrow field". Gaitskell highlighted the Government proposals to sell its shared in Richard Thomas & Baldwins, and the Rent Act 1957 as policies which the Labour Party would oppose. Foot's camp believed that, nevertheless, Gaitskell would have been pleased to see Foot obtain a poor result at the polls. During the last week, Foot attacked