Jon Trickett MP: Our area cannot take any more Tory neglect

Jon Trickett MP: It is an even bigger privilege to serve your country as the prime minister.

When you are trusted to represent others, it comes with great responsibility.

You should put aside your self-interest and act in the interests of those you represent.

You should not abuse your power for personal gain.

And you should tell the truth.

I completely understand that people in our area are feeling incredibly let down by recent events.

I have received huge numbers of emails from constituents who are enraged by the conduct of the prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer, who have been fined by the police for attending parties in Downing Street during lockdown.

They partied. They broke the law.

Then they lied to the British people about it.

Now they should both resign.

The British public made heartbreaking sacrifices during the dark days of lockdown.

There cannot be one rule for those in power and another rule for the rest of us.

But that is exactly how Boris Johnson sees the world. He thinks that standards, even laws, do not apply to him.

The sheer arrogance is breathtaking. He knows he’s been caught out but he doesn’t seem to care.

On Thursday I intended to vote for an inquiry into whether the PM misled parliament.

After initially opposing the inquiry, the government were forced to U-turn when it became clear that Conservative MPs were unwilling to protect the PM from accountability any longer.

Now it would appear that Boris Johnson’s days may be numbered.

The long awaited Sue Gray report could be the final straw for Conservative MPs who are concerned about the damage he is doing to their party.

But what about the damage Boris Johnson’s Tories are doing to the country, particularly in areas like ours?

With the local elections only a week away, voters will no doubt be thinking about ‘partygate’ but they will also be thinking about 12 years of Conservative rule that has levelled down places like ours by cutting services and starving us of investment.

For example, the Conservatives cut Wakefield District Council’s budget by 40.2 per cent between 2015 and 2020.

School funding in Hemsworth is down by 7.5 per cent since 2015.

Our local transport services have been cut so much that the network is now at crisis point. And 29 more bus routes are being scaled back this month while some West Yorkshire railway services also face the axe. Our area cannot afford any more years of Tory neglect.

Johnson and Sunak must be held accountable for their law-breaking and lies. But removing them from office is just one step towards dealing with a much larger problem.

The Tories have overseen the biggest fall in living standards in a generation or more, with wages declining, the cost of living skyrocketing and taxes rising.

Let’s be clear, the Tory government cannot be trusted with our public services or the economy, nor can they be trusted to follow their own laws.