Labour planning for 'ground war' for 2015 election, while admitting Tories could outspend them 3 to 1

Chief strategists also admitted that there were 'unprecedented levels of mistrust in politicians and politics itself'

Douglas Alexander has received blame from within the party for co-ordinating an ineffective campaign (Justin Sutcliffe) (Justin Sutcliffe)

Labour’s chief strategist has declared that the coming 2015 election will be fought “on the ground”, while admitting that the party faced being outspent by the Conservative three times over.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander, writing in the Guardian today, said that the campaign would focus on winning the election “conversation by conversation” while acknowledging that many voters felt "angry" and that there were “unprecedented levels of mistrust in politicians and politics itself.”

Mr Alexander, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, described the coming election fight – which promises to be one of the closest in living memory – would not be won traditionally through an “air war of posters and press conferences.”

Instead, “it is on the ground where this election will be won or lost,” Mr Alexander writes, drawing on his own experiences last summer campaigning for unity ahead of the Scottish independence vote.

Although the vote was won and the country remained unified, the last minute scramble from Westminster to the north of the country was perceived by many as indicative of how out of touch the ruling parties were, having failed to properly realise the extent of the danger.

The optimistic tone of Labour Chair of General Election Strategy does not falter when suggesting that the Conservative party, who launched their campaign yesterday, might outspend them three to one.

“The Tories may be able to outspend us by as much as three to one, but on the ground in the key seats, we aim to outnumber their diminished and demoralised activists by the same margin," he writes.

The Electoral Commission indicates that Labour spent £8m during the 2010 campaign – in comparison to the Tories £16.5m.