Andrew Jones Archives - Page 11 of 22

Harrogate county councillor calls for ‘major change’ in politics as Prime Minister resigns

A Green Party councillor in the Harrogate district has spoken out about the state of politics following the Prime Minister’s resignation today.

Arnold Warneken, who was elected to the Ouseburn division of North Yorkshire County Council in May, said it was time for an overhaul of the political system in order to restore faith.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, he said:

“We need to have a major change in politics and statesmen who are honest and hard-working.

“They always say, ‘the right honourable member for such-and-such’ – I’d put that under the Trade Descriptions Act. They lie, they break the law – what makes them honourable?”

Cllr Warneken pointed to the recent results in the local elections in North Yorkshire as a sign of the public’s appetite for change. The Conservatives went from a significant majority in the county to winning 47 of the 90 seats to secure a slender majority.

He said he wanted to see proportional representation introduced, ensuring the political make-up of Parliament was more representative. He added:

“I can guarantee if that was in place, we would get a better turn-out. People are hungry for change and we have to provide an alternative.”

Cllr Arnold Warneken

Cllr Warneken was critical of Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones, saying he only spoke out against the Prime Minister after it became clear his position was untenable.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Mr Jones for a response to the accusation, but has not received a response.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that Mr Jones has written to constituents to say he had hoped the prime minister might have “changed his behaviours” following last month’s vote of confidence.

However, Mr Jones added it is “clear” that “the same old process of the truth being reached through the most tortuous of processes” has followed. He said:

“I have over a long period disagreed with some of the Prime Minister’s decisions. You may remember that I called for Dominic Cummings to resign over the infamous ‘Barnard Castle eye test’ incident.

“I refused to vote with the government when the Prime Minister wanted us to change the standards rules to save Owen Paterson who had clearly broken them.

“I was quite clear in my comments about Partygate when I said that ‘law-makers cannot be law-breakers’.

“I backed that up when it came to the recent no confidence vote where I did not support the Prime Minister.”

Mr Jones added he now looks forward to a “calmer, honest and transparent approach to our national politics” after the prime minister announced his resignation outside No 10 this afternoon.

There has been no word from Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, on the situation.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has not responded to requests for comment from the Stray Ferret, but earlier today he took to Twitter to praise civil servants.

Over the past years @UKCivilService has been attacked and maligned by certain government ministers. Over the past 24 hours they have literally held the administration of our country together & are currently sorting out this mess. Thank you.

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) July 7, 2022

The local Labour party has called for the Prime Minister to step down immediately, rather than waiting for a leadership contest in the autumn, as has been announced.

In a statement, the party said:

“The Prime Minister is unfit to govern and needs to go now.

“Boris Johnson has presided over a government defined by lies, sleaze, an utter lack of integrity and incompetence.

“We need a new Government now. The choice is clear: a Tory government with more of the same, or a Labour government offering a fresh start for Harrogate and Knaresborough.”

Cllr Warneken agreed, saying by continuing, Boris Johnson was “causing more chaos and more damage to society through ill thought-out policies and laws”.

He said the impact was being felt in North Yorkshire, where plans to set up the new unitary council had been affected by the lead-up to Mr Johnson’s resignation.

Council officers had worked “really, really hard” but were unable to make as much progress as they had hoped while Whitehall civil servants were tied up dealing with the crisis, he said.

With the summer recess looming, a caretaker Prime Minister was not sufficient to ensure the country could function effectively, said Cllr Warneken, adding:

“He can cause a hell of a lot of damage between now and when they find some other idiot to replace him.

“The only saving glory is he has done more damage to his party the longer he has been there.”

Andrew Jones MP backs bid for levelling up cash to fund HCC redevelopment

Harrogate MP Andrew Jones has set out his support for a bid for levelling up cash to fund a proposed redevelopment of the town’s convention centre.

Mr Jones said the bid from Harrogate Borough Council is “key” to levelling up not just the local area, but also Yorkshire and the Humber as the convention centre is a “significant driver of economic activity” across the region.

He said:

“The convention centre is Yorkshire’s convention centre and hosts large-scale regional and national events, most of which attract many international visitors.

“This bid for funding towards the centre’s redevelopment project is key to levelling up across Yorkshire and the Humber, not just the Harrogate district.

“It will help provide a platform for Yorkshire and the Humber businesses domestically and for export, help to drive inward investment and support extensive employment opportunities.”

It is understood the bid to the second round of the government’s Levelling Up Fund is worth £20 million – the maximum amount allowed per project.

Harrogate Borough Council is behind the convention centre proposals and will submit its funding bid before noon tomorrow after it received the support of Mr Jones.

The project was first announced by the Conservative-run council in 2020, but there have been questions over the total £47 million cost could be funded.

It will also need to be approved by borough councillors before it can go ahead.

The project could involve three exhibition halls being demolished to make way for a new 5,000 sq m hall and a refurbished auditorium.

There are also proposals to refurbish the convention centre’s studio two with a flexible events space for up to 1,200 delegates. A start date for this first phase of works was previously earmarked for October.

The Harrogate district has been listed as a tier three area in the Levelling Up Fund which prioritises areas most in need of economic growth and is a key part of the government’s aim to give communities that feel left behind a chance to catch up.

This was the same tier listing when a joint bid from Harrogate Borough Council and Craven District Council for £6 million to fund regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham was unsuccessful in the first round of bidding last year.

The bid did not receive any money, with tier one and tier two areas being given greater priority.

Harrogate district MP quizzed on reaction to Tory resignations

The Stray Ferret has approached all three Harrogate district Conservative MPs for their reaction to this evening’s momentous political developments.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid have both quit the Cabinet amid a row over the handling of misconduct claims against ex-Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher.

Their resignations have sparked frenzied speculation about more Cabinet resignations and whether Boris Johnson will survive as Prime Minister.

We have emailed Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon and Nigel Adams, MP for Selby with Ainsty, asking for their reaction to the resignations and whether they feel Mr Johnson should resign. None has replied yet.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has retweeted Mr Sunak and Mr Javid’s resignation statements. Mr Smith has been critical of the government’s decision to rewrite parts of the Brexit deal.

Mr Jones is not active on social media but he was among the Conservative rebels who voted for Mr Johnson to step down last month.

Mr Adams, who is minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, is regarded as a Johnson loyalist. He last tweeted earlier today about England’s victory over India in the Test match.

David Goode, chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, told the Stray Ferret:

“Johnson being Johnson will try to. hang on. Until the wider Conservative Party finally make a decision and get rid of him he will stay as long as he can.

“The Andrew Jones’ of this world have to step up and be counted now.”

Lib Dems on course to take Harrogate and Knaresborough, says YouGov

The Liberal Democrats would win Harrogate and Knaresborough if a general election was held tomorrow, according to polling firm YouGov.

The company has published modelling based on 64 ‘blue wall’ Conservative-Liberal Democrat battleground seats.

The seats were chosen because they were won by the Conservatives at the 2019 general election but the Liberal Democrats received above 20% of the vote.

YouGov predicts the Conservatives would retain 38 seats, the Liberal Democrats would win 24 and Labour would win two.

Among those forecast to fall is Andrew Jones’ seat, which he won with a majority of 9,675 in 2019, relegating the Liberal Democrats to second.

YouGov predicts the Liberal Democrats would get 43% of the vote in Harrogate and Knaresborough, compared with 39% for the Conservatives and 9% for Labour.

It comes days after Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey pledged to make Harrogate and Knaresborough a target seat during a visit to Harrogate.

The polling says the Conservatives would also lose seats belonging to deputy prime minister Dominic Raab and former leadership contender Jeremy Hunt to the Liberal Democrats.

The company said in a statement:

“Although constituencies would fall to the Liberal Democrats all across the country, including Harrogate and Knaresborough in the north and South Cambridgeshire in the east, perhaps the most striking losses come in the south west, where we estimate that the Conservative vote share is down by over 16 points on 2019.

“Many more Conservative seats are close to being flipped: no fewer than 11 of the 38 predicted holds would be retained by a margin of less than five points. “

The only Con-Lib Dem battlegrounds region where Labour have increased their vote share on 2019 is in London, where they are up by three points.

In all other regions their vote share in these battleground seats is down – despite Labour’s vote intention being around six to nine points higher than the 32% they managed at the last election.

MPs watch: Vote of no confidence and overriding the Brexit deal

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

This month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced a vote of no confidence from Tory MPs. MPs also voted to override part of the Brexit deal that relates to Northern Ireland.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found out on Mr Jones:

On June 6, Mr Jones voted against Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his confidence vote.
Mr Jones spoke twice at Prime Minister’s Questions during June. On the 22nd, he urged the Prime Minister to introduce more apprenticeships in the rail industry. Yesterday he asked a question about the government’s Access to Work scheme for disabled people.
Mr Jones had a stand at Starbeck Community Day on June 18 where he spoke with constituents.
On June 22, Mr Jones met with young people from the charity Barnados in Parliament.
On June 23, the MP wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel about “speeding up” measures to evict Travellers who break the law.
On June 27, Mr Jones voted in favour of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which aims to override part of the government’s Brexit deal.
On June 28, the MP paid tribute to Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam who died. Mr Jones said: “Malcolm was a Harrogate hero. He leaves a body of work that is impressive and an area much the better for all he did”.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

On June 2, Mr Smith attended the Queen’s platinum jubilee service at Ripon Cathedral.
The MP paid tribute to broadcaster Harry Gration, who died this month. He tweeted: “So sorry & shocked to hear this @BBCLookNorth – Harry was such a special person & at @riponcathedral recent platinum jubilee service was on cracking form – charming everyone.”
Mr Smith retweeted pop star Taylor Swift, who criticised the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion law Roe v Wade.
On June 15, Mr Smith was the keynote speaker at a Women in Business event in Belfast.
On June 21, Mr Smith voted against a Labour Party motion that would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to appoint a new ethics chief within two months.
Mr Smith, who is a former Northern Ireland secretary, abstained on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

The sweary MP tweeted that there has been a “a lot of conspiracy b*llocks spouted” about Boris Johnson’s trip to Ukraine. Last year, Mr Adams made national news after he told Stop Brexit Man, Steve Bray, to “f*** off” outside Parliament.
Mr Adams also paid tribute to Harry Gration. He said: “Harry was a lovely man and such a professional, fair broadcaster.”
The MP criticised RMT Union chief Mick Lynch following the rail strikes. He tweeted: “Not sure stopping working class people getting to work is a vote winner Mick.”
Writing on his website on June 28, Mr Adams hailed the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Act, which he said will make it easier to stop Traveller encampments and hare coursing.
In early June, Mr Adams visited Hyderabad in India on a trade trip.

Sir Ed Davey: Lib Dems will target Harrogate and Knaresborough as key seat

The Liberal Democrats are set to make Harrogate and Knaresborough a target seat at the next General Election.

On a visit to Harrogate today, party leader Sir Ed Davey MP told the Stray Ferret the Conservatives had taken local people for granted.

Sir Ed, who was also speaking at the Local Government Association conference at Harrogate Convention Centre, said he would be returning to Harrogate and Knaresborough personally in the run up to the next election.

He said:

“We are going to be working as hard as possible to win this seat. I’m really looking forward to the new candidate being selected very soon.

“I’ll be up here working with them so that we do win this seat.”

Sir Ed said the Lib Dems’ agenda included tax cuts to tackle the cost of living, better healthcare and “getting tough” on water companies that pump sewage into rivers.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, holds a majority of 9,675 in the constituency.

He has been re-elected three times since winning the seat in 2010.

When pressed on how he could be so confident of winning the seat when voters in Harrogate and Knaresborough have returned a Conservative to Westminster for the last 12 years, he said:

“The Conservatives have taken the people of Harrogate for granted.

“We’re going to work hard to earn their votes. One of my criticisms of Conservative MPs is that they have taken their local areas for granted. It has got to stop.

“We will work tirelessly to listen to the communities, to take up their concerns and be their local champion.”

Last week the Lib Dems overturned a 24,239 majority to gain a seat from the Conservatives in the Tiverton and Honiton.

Besides Harrogate and Knaresborough, the party is also expected to focus on Tory marginals such as Cheltenham and Wimbledon, according to iNews.

The Stray Ferret has approached Mr Jones for comment.

Harrogate district MPs divided over Northern Ireland Protocol

Two of the three Harrogate district Conservative MPs have backed plans for the government to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A controversial bill passed its first hurdle in Parliament last night by 295 votes to 221.

The plans, which would allow ministers to scrap parts of the protocol, has proved controversial with some MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, who said it was not legal and would “diminish the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world”.

Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, which includes some rural parts of Harrogate, voted in favour of the bill.

But former Northern Ireland secretary and Skipton and Ripon MP, Julian Smith, abstained.

Speaking during last night’s debate, Mr Smith said the protocol enjoyed “significant support” among businesses in Northern Ireland, adding:

“We risk toxifying further the discussions we are having with the EU and member states, and we risk prolonging instability for Northern Ireland business, not to mention putting the whole of the UK at risk of trade and tariff reprisals.”

The bill will allow ministers to change parts of the protocol which were agreed as part of post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland in 2019.

Liz Truss, foreign secretary, said the government had no other option but to “fix” problems in the deal.

The government wants to fast-track the bill through the House of Commons before July’s summer recess but it is likely to face opposition in the House of Lords.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey to visit Harrogate next week

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, is to visit one of the party’s target constituencies — Harrogate and Knaresborough — next week.

Mr Davey will be in Harrogate on Wednesday to meet local members and speak at the Local Government Association conference, which takes place at Harrogate Convention Centre from June 28-30.

The local party is in buoyant mood following last month’s local election results, which saw it become the largest party on North Yorkshire County Council in the constituency area. However, the Conservatives retained overall control of the council.

Nationally, the Lib Dems overturned a 24,000 Tory majority to win yesterday’s Tiverton and Honiton by-election.

David Goode, chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats, said:

“He will meet with members and will want to talk about the fantastic Tiverton and Honiton success where we overturned a massive majority.

“It’s also a good opportunity to share our own successes with him and our plans for the general election.”

The Conservative Andrew Jones has been the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2010 and has won four elections. He succeeded Liberal Democrat Phil Willis.

In the 2019 general election, Mr Jones won 29,962 votes, beating Lib Dem candidate Judith Rogerson by almost 10,000 votes.

The Lib Dems did gain a 12-point swing on 2017, which largely came at the expense of the Labour Party.

Mr Goode said the Lib Dem’s prospective parliamentary candidate could be announced as soon as next month, with the selection process currently underway.

Last week, former candidate Ms Rogerson ruled herself out for personal reasons.

Mr Goode added:

“There are rumours of a potential autumn election and we want to be ready.

“Andrew Jones is going to be a worried man. It looks like it’s becoming an unrecoverable position for the Conservative government.”

Andrew Jones MP calls on Prime Minister for rail improvements

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones today urged the Prime Minister to introduce more apprenticeships in the rail industry.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Question Time, Mr Jones asked Boris Johnson if he would ensure there were apprenticeship schemes in place to help the industry become more efficient and embrace technology.

He called for the government to focus on training engineers and drivers in order to recover services lost during the covid pandemic.

The Conservative MP said:

“For years in Harrogate and Knaresborough we had the Labour no growth Northern rail franchise.

“We have new rolling stock, more and better services. We have though seen some lost as the industry has had to suspend some services while they catch up on driver training lost during the pandemic.

“Strikes just takes us back to the 1970s, so will the Prime Minister’s focus on the future ensure that we have apprenticeship schemes focussing on engineering and driver training to ensure we recover the services lost and an industry that’s focused upon efficiency and embraces technology for the future.”

In response, Mr Johnson said:

“We’re doing just that.

“We’re reforming train driver training to make entry into the sector simpler, while continuing of course to make sure we meet vital safety requirements.”

Chris Watt, a Labour Party campaigner in Harrogate and Knaresborough, responded on Twitter by saying that Harrogate was one of the last stations left with old fashioned Pacer trains during Mr Jones’ time as rail minister.

Extraordinary #Harrogate #Knaresborough MP @AJonesMP to call for rail improvements #PMQs when he was Rail Minister (3 times) Harrogate line was one of the last in the country left suffering Pacer trains and under his @Conservatives Gov @northernassist have recently cut services!

— Chris Watt (@ChrisWatt4) June 22, 2022

Harrogate district MP calls for end to Tory ‘leadership speculation’

Nigel Adams has called for the Conservative party to “put leadership speculation and distractions behind us” after the Prime Minister survived a confidence vote.

Boris Johnson won last night’s ballot among his own MPs by 211 to 148.

The result means Mr Johnson will remain as leader of the Conservatives and Prime Minister, however the number of his own MPs voting against him has raised questions about his long-term future.

Following the announcement of the result, Mr Adams, who is MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate, tweeted his support for Mr Johnson.

Mr Adams, who is in the cabinet and a close ally of the Prime Minister, said:

“Tonight, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won another clear mandate as leader of the Conservative Party.

“Now we can fully focus on delivering on the people’s priorities and put leadership speculation and distractions behind us for good.”

Among those who voted against Mr Johnson was Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones.

Mr Jones said he made the decision after “hundreds of people” in his constituency wrote to him, with most calling for the Prime Minister to resign.

Tonight, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won another clear mandate as Leader of the Conservative Party. Now we can fully focus on delivering on the people’s priorities and put leadership speculation and distractions behind us for good.

— Nigel Adams (@nadams) June 6, 2022

Mr Jones said in a statement yesterday:

“There were many harrowing stories in those emails where people couldn’t visit elderly relatives or mourn them at their funerals. These were people following the rules the Prime Minister set and championed.”

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, has remained silent on how he voted.

The result means that the Prime Minister cannot face another confidence vote for 12 months.

But it has been suggested that the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs may change the rules to allow for a vote sooner.

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