Tories are setting up a war unit to target three marginal General Election seats in Bradford, it was revealed today.

The party is understood to have placed Shipley MP Chris Leslie, Keighley MP Ann Cryer and Bradford West MP Marsha Singh on a hit list of 164 constituencies.

Managers are establishing a Target Seats Unit, backed by regional call centres, to pour resources into the crucial seats and raise the profile of local candidates.

The party is also setting up a network of regional press officers who will lead the publicity blitz on their behalf.

Officially, Conservative Central Office will not comment on the exact location of the seats they have targeted.

But the list has been drawn up according to the size of the sitting MP's majority, along with specific local issues.

Insiders said Mr Leslie, whose majority was 1,428 in the 2001 election, was in the firing line.

As a Labour minister (for constitutional affairs), he would be a prized scalp.

Labour backbenchers Mrs Cryer, who is defending a majority of 4,005, and Mr Singh - majority 4,165 - are also high on the list of vulnerable seats.

A Conservative Campaigning Board, chaired by Lord Moynihan, will advise the Target Seats Unit to make sure local activists have the resources, professional support and technology to run a "first-class campaign."

And a resource centre will provide advice on the latest campaigning techniques, information on opponents and literature to support local campaigners.

Conservative co-chairman Liam Fox said: "These developments will ensure that the party is ready to take the fight to Labour when the next election comes.

"We will be increasing the pressure at every level."

Of the 659 seats in Parliament, the Conservatives hold 166.

A party needs 330 seats to form a majority.

Winning 164 seats would give a Conservative Government a majority of 1.

In addition to the 164 target seats in England and Wales, the Scottish Conservative Party have their own target seats.

It is likely that proposed boundary changes in Scotland will be implemented by the next General Election, which will mean 13 fewer seats.

This would mean a Conservative majority of 14 if all of the 164 target seats are won.