The 2010 General Election was my first as a professional journalist. I covered campaigns and candidates in four seats, with the main focus on two constituencies – Scunthorpe and Brigg and Goole. During the course of the campaign, I interviewed leading figures including Ed Miliband and Damian Green, wrote features and covered issues. Among the ideas I pursued was a young voters panel and an interview with Political Betting editor Mike Smithson about the prospects of different results in the area.
On election night, I covered the counts for Scunthorpe and Brigg and Goole from the Ancholme Leisure Centre. Through the night, I held an online CoverItLive chat with readers from the floor of the count, interviewed the candidates, reported on Twitter and filed stories to the Scunthorpe Telegraph website. Once the results were in, I filed copy for a special region-wide supplement published alongside the Scunthorpe Telegraph, Grimsby Telegraph and Lincolnshire Echo on May 7.
And as the General Election got underway, the Elliot Morley expenses story continued to develop. As Parliament was dissolved, Mr Morley retired as an MP after a turbulent 12 months and court proceedings edged onwards with an announcement on legal aid.
