Every fortnight Kevin writes a "Kev's Column" for the Herald Express and you can read the latest edition (Published on Wednesday 26th October 2022) below:
Leadership
As I write this column Boris Johnson has just announced he will not be standing for leader, so by the time you read it a new Prime Minister may be in Downing Street.
Following the events of the last 6 weeks Conservative MPs now need to come together as one united team to deliver for our country and secure our nation’s economic future. Having spoken at length with him about the way ahead, the leader best placed to achieve this is Rishi Sunak.
In the face of the global economic headwinds we face, Rishi is best placed to ensure families and businesses across our bay and nation are protected, whilst ensuring financial markets have confidence in our plans. I also know he will ensure our support for Ukraine remains resolute.
I respect the way Boris ensured Ukraine was supported, without it the light of freedom in that nation would have been crushed by Putin. He also helped end the Brexit Deadlock which paralysed politics 3 years ago and ensured the UK rapidly delivered vaccination against Covid-19. I am also grateful for the way he listened and delivered for our bay, such as the £21.9m Torquay Town Deal, the £13.4m Paignton Future High Streets Fund and the Health Infrastructure Plan for Torbay Hospital, which could see up to £350m spent transforming its services. Yet we now need fresh leadership to deliver the promise of a better Britain our 2019 Manifesto set out, rather than a return to the arguments of the first half of this year.
There are great challenges to be met including: reducing NHS backlogs, delivering levelling up across our nation, transforming our rail network, the small boats crisis, providing opportunities for the next generation and supporting Ukraine until the day of its victory over Putin’s Invasion. I look forward to working with Rishi as we tackle them and deliver for the British people and our bay.
This Week
If Andrew Neil’s late-night politics show “This Week” was still running, he would have needed a feature length slot to cover recent events.
The last week saw the political landscape transformed, proving the old adage “a week is a long time in politics”. There were just 6 days between the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor and the Prime Minister announcing her resignation as Prime Minister. It is sad to see the way Liz’s Premiership ended, she is not an inherently bad person and looked to do her best, but it became clear she was not able to effectively lead the government.
Some never gave her a chance, but in the end the chances she was given were not taken.
Surgery Times
My next surgeries are on: Saturday 5th November 10am till 12noon at Barton Hill Rd, Torquay TQ2 8JA and Friday 11th November 3pm till 5pm at 5-7 East St, Torquay, TQ2 5SD
For an appointment you can either email me at [email protected] or leave a message on 01803 214989, surgeries are for personal queries from residents they would like me to help them with, rather than a wider policy debate. There are also drop-in sessions at my office 5-7 East St, Torquay, TQ2 5SD between 10am & 1pm Monday to Friday where a member of my team will be available to help with any queries.
