Released at 18:00 on 6 June 2022
Whilst I know that not everybody will agree with the position I will be taking tonight, it is only right that I set out how and why I have come to this view.
On 12 December 2019 thousands of residents across Burnley and Padiham put their trust in me. It is a moment and a responsibility that I think of every day as I work to repay that trust.
It was also a vote for a Government led by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. To break the deadlock over Brexit and level up communities left behind for years. The challenges since the election have been substantial, and they are continuing.
But despite those challenges we have seen more focus from Government on our area than ever before. Tens of millions of pounds has been invested to regenerate our town centre, deliver flood defences, expand educational opportunity and more. That investment totals almost £100 million in our area alone
And we have seen the big calls taken by the PM to deliver for Burnley and Padiham. Brexit was finally delivered, our vaccine rollout meant our town centre rebounded quicker than most, and our unemployment is falling rapidly.
As with many, I am disappointed in events that have taken place in Downing Street. But I also have to consider where we go from here; how we continue to transform our borough; how we create good quality jobs and opportunities locally; and how we deal with the big issues that residents are facing.
I’ve been knocking on doors and speaking to residents for months, and I know that whilst many are frustrated at Boris, many more want us to get on with the job of governing the country and improving lives locally.
The Prime Minister has demonstrated that he is backing our borough more than any other Prime Minister ever has. And for that reason, I’ll be backing him tonight.
This isn’t about getting a government job (I don’t want one), or currying favour (I have no need). It’s about securing the best result for Burnley and Padiham. A result which means we continue to be at the centre of the levelling-up agenda.
A leadership contest and the removal of Boris Johnson may be what the media and the Twitter mob want to see but all I see is distraction from the task at hand, taking the focus away from all the improvements we’re making in Burnley and Padiham.
