THEY say politicians are all the same - but now the Evening Press has hard evidence.

Grumbles that the three main political parties are all converging have been common currency since Tony Blair created "new" Labour - in the image, accused some, of the Tories.

But, in York, the parties are closer than even the cynics may realise. It has emerged that the York constituency offices of Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all have remarkably similar telephone numbers.

By freaky chance, Labour's is York 623713, the Conservatives' is 622714 and the Liberal Democrats are on 622713.

Andrew Waller, who runs the Liberal Democrat's constituency office, said he received calls meant for Labour about once a month.

"They will launch into their story assuming I am at the Labour Party office," he said.

"I take all the notes down and then I realise they have got the wrong number and tell them the right one. And off they go. I suppose it's quite funny, in a way."

Perhaps, revealingly, both the Tory office and the Labour office claimed they never got calls intended for the Liberal Democrats.

Labour's Hugh Bayley said his office number had previously been his home number, before he even became York's MP. He said:

"It sounds extraordinary to me, but it can only be a coincidence."

And he offered an explanation for the situation.

He said: "My number is one that people associate with a first- class political service in York, so my political rivals are obviously trying to imitate the best."

A spokesman for BT said: "It is astounding. The odds of the three parties being given such similar numbers is several thousand to one."

He said it would be a great opportunity to make history by organising a multi-party telephone conference between the three.

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