A FORMER Welsh secretary in Gwent at the weekend to launch a Keep the Pound rally met an election candidate who has already enjoyed success.

Lord David Hunt joined Islwyn Conservatives, including parliamentary candidate Phillip Howells, at the rally on Saturday in Blackwood town centre.

While he was there, Lord Hunt met Natalie Jenkins, 15, who beat the odds to become the Conservative victor at a mock election in Blackwood Comprehensive School.

A pre-election poll had anticipated Natalie would get just seven per cent of votes, but on the day she romped home with a 39 per cent share of the vote.

Lord Hunt said: "I am so impressed because she had never done this before. She is a first-time candidate."

Natalie said: "I had to pretty much do what a normal candidate would do. I had to sort out advertising, hustings meetings and canvassing with the help of my agent, Tamasin Williams."

The schoolgirl also had support from Islwyn Conservatives, including securing a personal note from William Hague for her election leaflet.

Mr Howells said: "The interesting thing is that the Conservatives are behind in the polls and so was Natalie. In the actual vote, she got 39 per cent."

The Conservatives believed they would perform a similar turnaround, said Mr Howells. He said he was pleased with the response the Keep the Pound rally - part of a nationwide Keep the Pound campaign day - had received in Blackwood.

"It is amazing," said Mr Howells. "There are people who are saying, 'We are die-hard Labour but we want to keep our pound'."

Lord Hunt's tour of a number of constituencies kicked off in Torfaen, where he enjoyed a pint of real ale at the Open Hearth pub in Pontnewydd, Pontypool.

There he met Jason Evans, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Torfaen, John Chapman, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale in Wales, and the pub's landlord, Gwyn Phillips.

Lord Hunt was at the CAMRA pub to hear concerns about tax on real ale. He later visited Caerphilly and Brecon and Radnor.