TORY chief whip Michael Gove told Dorset residents “every vote counts” as he took to the streets in one of the country’s crucial battlegrounds on Saturday.

With the general election less than three weeks away, the senior conservative MP visited Wimborne in an attempt to drum-up support with Mid Dorset and North Poole voters.

The former secretary of state for education said the seat, which was held by retiring Lib Dem MP Annette Brooke by just 269 votes in 2010, would be a "vital" win for the Tories as they fight to secure a majority in the Commons.

He told the Daily Echo: “Everyone’s vote will matter in this election but it could not be closer than here in Mid Dorset and Poole."

A relaxed Mr Gove posed for selfies in the sunshine on Wimborne Green and mingled with locals in the Square before knocking on doors with Mid Dorset and Poole's Conservative parliamentary prospective candidate, Michael Tomlinson.

Mr Gove claimed if re-elected into government, the Tories would bring continued economic growth and stability to Dorset.

“Over the last five years the country has made a number of sacrifices to get our economy back on track," he said.

"In Dorset more jobs have been created, more apprenticeships are being created and more people are in work than ever before.

"That could be put at risk if we have anything other than a Conservative prime minister in Downing Street."

And after boldly declaring the Conservatives will not "get into bed" with UKIP in the event of a hung parliament - the first senior Tory to publicly do so - Mr Gove said his party will fulfil its commitment to renegotiating the UK's membership with the European Union.

He said: "The Conservatives are the only party that will renegotiate our membership in the EU in order to bring immigration properly under control in a balanced way."

The long-serving MP said he was "confident" Mr Tomlinson will win the prime seat, which is also being contested by Lib Dem Vikki Slade, Labour's Patrick Canavan, Mark Chivers for the Green Party and Richard Turner for UKIP.

He said: "Of course people will be grateful to Annette Brooke as their MP for the hard work she has put in but the fact that Annette is standing down means there's an opportunity for people to have, in Michael, someone who will fight, if anything, even harder for this constituency.

"And at the same time you have the security and safety of knowing you have an MP who is part of a majority party that can deliver."