The Conservative government has shown people in the North what they really think of them, especially in the past few weeks, says Northumberland Labour.

Leader Scott Dickinson said: “Everywhere you look the government is letting people in the North down. The social care bill going through parliament penalises people with less expensive homes, waiting lists and times are rising and, to add insult to injury, the government has scrapped improvements in transport.

“There will be people who say the government has been managing a pandemic. I choose just not go there because, apart from the NHS-led vaccination programme, their management of the other aspects of the pandemic have been found wanting.

“The Prime Minister’s mantra of building back better and levelling up have been found to be exactly what they are; empty words.

“Four million children in this country live in poverty, people are relying on foodbanks and, for the first time in our life time, life expectancy is actually decreasing. This is not the sign of a government which wants to make things better for people. 

“Add to that the recent sleaze scandal with second jobs and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what’s going on; the Conservative government, which was voted in by many traditional Labour voters who wanted to see change, has basically ignored their wants and needs. They don’t deserve support from people who switched allegiances because they thought they’d get something better.

“We want to make Northumberland the best county in the country to live in. We will hold the Conservative council leader and his team to account and we will work with our regional and national colleagues to hold this government to account.