My regular column was published in yesterday's Sentinel. I wrote about my backing for Liz Truss and also added some updates on Walley's. The text is below.
==========================================
There have been a lot of twists and turns in the Conservative leadership race so far. It seems longer than a month ago that the starting gun was fired by the Prime Minister’s resignation. Since then, we have had parliamentary hustings, TV debates and membership hustings - not to mention Twitter spats and WhatsApp wars.
It has been a tough campaign for everybody. There has been a lot of in-depth policy debate about the future of our party and country, much of which has been productive and insightful. It’s right that the candidates have been tested under pressure - we need to know that our next Prime Minister has what it takes to lead. But there has been a darker side to the campaign too. The candidates’ attacks on each other have been bruising and have left me concerned for the good reputation of our party.
Because of this, I have concluded that - above all else - what we need out of this leadership campaign is unity. The whole party will now need to pull together after the division of the last few months - without that unity we cannot deliver for our party or our country.
I wrote about my backing for Tom Tugendhat in my last Personally Speaking column and I was proud of the campaign he ran, in which I played an active role. Once he was eliminated, I became a floating voter, although I was initially leaning towards Rishi Sunak. However, having observed the hustings and the wider campaign over the last month, I – like Tom – have come to the conclusion that Liz Truss is the best person to unite the party and to deliver on our promises to level up.
If we in the Conservative Party are to win the next General Election, seats like mine in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the neighbouring Stoke seats will be crucial. For years North Staffordshire residents were represented by Labour MPs and had to watch as big cities and other areas progressed and benefited from serious investment, private and public, under governments of both parties, whilst the so-called “Red Wall” was overlooked.
That all changed three years ago. In 2019 I pledged, alongside my Conservative colleagues, to turn this around. Indeed, after getting Brexit done, it was to be our government’s guiding mission: restoring not only investment and opportunity, but also local pride in towns like Newcastle.
We pledged as a party to finally give areas like ours the attention, investment, and opportunity they deserve. The goal to level up spoke exactly to what my constituents have been concerned about - missing out on the growth and prosperity that other parts of the country, in particular London, have enjoyed for years.
Since then, a global pandemic and war in Ukraine have changed the picture dramatically. But the problems we are trying to address remain the same - in fact the past three years has made them more apparent than ever before.
We need to continue to deliver on our promises to level up in the two years until the next general election if we want to be re-elected. Government money is pouring into Newcastle and Stoke, but we need to see the building projects from our Town Deal and the Future High Streets fund through to completion, and we need to be laser-focused on this mission. What really matters to people is what we do with the next two years, and whether we deliver on the promises we made to constituencies like Newcastle.
I believe Liz has the experience to deliver from day one and the bold plan we need to tackle our problems head on and get our economy back on track. Under Liz, levelling up is not something based on handouts or taking from one place to give to another, but a mission that will harness the power of local communities and industries, through investment in infrastructure and skills.
On more local matters, Walley’s Quarry landfill is still high on my agenda.
Permanent capping work to Phase 1 of the site has continued over the past month, which although delayed earlier in the month, should now be complete. In addition to this, four new gas wells were fully installed. Odour levels are now much reduced, though I appreciate that there can still be bad days or nights in particular areas and I will not rest in holding the Environment Agency and the operator to account.
I have also spoken directly with Liz Truss about the issues at Walley’s Quarry and have been assured of her support on the matter (including an early visit from her new Environment Secretary) as well as a commitment to tackle waste crime across the UK more generally.
Finally, I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I have been out and about across the constituency and I am now looking forward to returning to Westminster in September under a new Prime Minister, ready to focus on delivering for Newcastle-under-Lyme once again.