Rishi Sunak calls for changes to North Yorkshire’s home-to-school transport policyEditor’s Pick of the Week: Grisly find in Ripon, high street hell in Harrogate and Sunak returnsSunak taunted about living under North Yorkshire mayor

Rishi Sunak was taunted about living under a Labour mayor in his North Yorkshire constituency at Prime Minster’s Questions yesterday.

Harrogate-born David Skaith was elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire on May 2 last week. He took up the role yesterday.

Mr Skaith was photographed with Labour leader Keir Starmer at Northallerton Football Club a couple of hours after he was declared mayor on Friday.

Mr Starmer told the House of Commons that Mr Sunak now had “great Labour councillors” in Downing Street and Southampton, where he grew up, and a Labour mayor in London.

He added:

“At his mansion in Richmond, he can enjoy a brand new Labour mayor of North Yorkshire.”

Mr Sunak was quick to reply:

“I was of course surprised to see the honourable gentleman in North Yorkshire. Although probably not as surprised as he was when he realised he couldn’t take the tube there.

“I can tell him the people of North Yorkshire believe in hard work, secure borders, lower taxes and straight talking common sense.

“They are not going to get any of that from a virtue signalling lawyer from North London.”

Mr Starmer said:

“It was great to be in Northallerton where they had just voted to reject the Prime Minister’s proposition.

“No matter where he calls home, all his neighbours are backing this changed Labour Party.”

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Local MPs support smoking ban

Two local MPs have said they support today’s vote to make it illegal for anyone born since 2009 to ever smoke.

MPs will vote today on Rishi Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Conservative MPs have been given a free vote on the issue and this afternoon’s Commons debate is being broadcast on Parliament TV.

Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, told the Stray Ferret he supported the bill. He added:

“Smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the UK and I want people to live longer, healthier lives rather than dying younger following a period of significant illness.

“Also NHS beds and appointments taken up by people with smoking-related illnesses mean there are fewer beds for people with other issues meaning longer waiting lists for treatment so reducing the number smoking is good for everyone’s health.

“Finally there are an amazing number of days lost in the workplace due to ill health caused by smoking.  Fewer smokers is better for our economy and our productivity.”

The Stray Ferret also asked Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, and Keir Mather, the Labour MP for Selby and Ainsty, if they would vote in favour of the bill.

A spokesperson for Mr Mather said:

“Owing to an urgent engagement in the constituency, Keir will be paired for today’s vote so will be shown as an abstention.

“However, he has asked me to let you that he supports the legislation in principle because it will be a positive step for public health which the Labour Party has supported for some time now.”

Mr Smith said:

“I support the policy and will be voting for it.”

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss told the Commons the idea that the government “protect adults from themselves is hugely problematic”. She added:

“If people want to vote for finger-wagging, nannying control freaks, there are plenty of them to choose from on the benches opposite.”

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Editor’s Pick of the Week: Sunak in Ripon, village idiot in Harrogate and a vanishing cockerel

You know how it is — one minute you’re enjoying a street party in Ripon, the next minute you turn around and the Prime Minister is there too.

It actually happened on Easter Monday when Rishi Sunak joined fellow Tory, North Yorkshire mayor hopeful Keane Duncan, in the city.

It was Mr Sunak’s second local visit in as many months, following his trip to Starbeck to support Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones in February. Anyone might think an election is looming…

Who is the man in the background and what was he saying?

Mr Sunak, however, had to play second fiddle to a village idiot in the Stray Ferret reader popularity stakes this week. Our article about the arrival in Harrogate of Andy Smith, a YouTuber who calls himself The Village Idiot, was the second best read this week.

The most popular was a feature about Thompson’s Auctioneers in Killinghall, whose director Kate Higgins talked about the joys of rummaging through possessions and selling them under the hammer.

But perhaps the most bizarre was the disappearance of a 30-foot cockerel in Bishop Monkton. It seems the bird had grown so big it was no longer manageable.

Pic: Bishop Monkton Today

Harrogate’s Tourist Information Office has also vanished from its former premises in the Royal Baths complex. It now exists as what appears to be little more than a desk at the Royal Pump Room Museum. Its apparent downgrading has prompted concerns about whether it will be able to promote local businesses.

By contrast, Harrogate Town has well and truly arrived in recent years. The club is enjoying a golden age under father-and-son owner and manager combination Irving Weaver and Simon Weaver. It’s hard to believe the Sulphurites are in a league above York City, have just thumped Bradford City and are on the fringes of the League Two play-off race.

But newly published accounts this week revealed how much the club depends on Irving. Good luck to Town against Notts County this weekend. Let’s hope the good times keep rolling for a while yet.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes surprise visit to Ripon

Ripon received a surprise visitor when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived for an unannounced hour-long walkabout and meetings with local businesses and politicians.

Yesterday’s Totally Locally street party organised by the city’s independent traders and supported by Ripon Business Improvement District, provided a platform for Mr Sunak, along with Keane Duncan, the Conservative Party candidate for next month’s York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, to mingle with crowds on Market Square.

The Bank Holiday Monday event, which was launched last year, is designed to raise awareness of what the ancient city has to offer in a modern-day economy.

BID manager Lilla Bathurst, said:

“The Prime Minister was able to see for himself what the collaborative efforts of Ripon’s strong mix of independent retail and  hospitality businesses can achieve.

“There are clear indicators, both in terms of the investment in new openings and refurbishments in the city centre and footfall analysis, that a post-pandemic revival is underway.”

City councillor and deputy mayor elect Jackie Crozier (pictured below)  whose award-winning Little Bird Made artisan markets are held on Market Square and locations across Yorkshire, introduced Mr Sunak to coffee maker Tom Bolland of the Happy Barista — a regular attendee  at the Little Bird events.

For 11-year-old Lilly, daughter of Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, there was an opportunity for a photograph with Mr Sunak outside Ripon’s historic town hall.

Rishi Sunak, pictured with Cllr Andrew Williams and his daughter Lilly.

Cllr Williams said:

“There’s an interesting fact that links our current Prime Minster with one dating back to 1827, because the Marquess of Ripon, who donated the town hall building to the then borough council in 1897 after two terms as mayor of the city, was born at 10 Downing Street while his father Viscount Goderich was in office.”

Mayoral candidates

The election for the first mayor of the York and North Yorkshire combined authority will take place on Thursday May 2 and, in addition to the Conservative Keane Duncan, the other candidates are:

Main image: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is discussion with Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst.

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Andrew Jones MP ‘disappointed’ after HS2 northern leg cancelled

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has said he is “disappointed” after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped plans for the northern leg of HS2.

In a speech before the Conservative Party conference this afternoon, Mr Sunak announced the high speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester would be cancelled. Only the new London Euston to Birmingham line will be built.

The Prime Minister said the move would save £36 billion, which he pledged to spend on other transport projects.

Mr Jones, who has long been a vocal supporter of the HS2 project and is co-chair of the Transport Across The North All Party Parliament Group, said the scheme would cost billions of pounds more than expected, but regretted the decision to scrap it.

He said:

“I am disappointed by the news today that the northern leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester is to be effectively scrapped. The idea of HS2 was to build capacity into our north-south rail links.  Building that capacity is the right thing to do and HS2 would achieve that.

“HS2 Limited was set up to manage the project and it has become clear that it has lost control of its costs. It is right that the company will be held accountable for this.

“HS2 is now looking to over-run by tens of billions of pounds. From an original budget of around £30bn it seems likely when the latest updates are released that the cost will be over £100bn.

“In context, that over-run is approaching half of what we spend on the NHS every year.

“I can see, therefore, why a decision had to be made. It is though a decision I regret.”

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The MP and former rail minister told a Transport for the North conference in September 2021 it was vital that the HS2 scheme was delivered in full for the north.

At the time, he said the high speed rail link would help to put “more connectivity and capacity into our system”.

In a statement to the Stray Ferret today, Mr Jones said it remained his position that he would have preferred the Manchester leg of the project to have been delivered.

However, he added that the “ballooning cost” of HS2 was holding back other transport infrastructure in the north of England.

Mr Jones said:

“The ballooning costs of HS2 are holding back other investment in transport infrastructure in the north. The Prime Minister has promised that the cash that would have been invested in the Manchester leg of HS2 will be repurposed to other northern projects – ones which can be achieved more quickly and have a more immediate impact on people’s lives and businesses.

“So I am disappointed that we have ended up in this place. I would have preferred the remainder of the HS2 to Manchester to be completed. That has always been my position and it remains my position now.

“But we are where we are because HS2 Limited has demonstrated poor financial control. We cannot turn the clock back. In politics you need to look forward even when circumstances change in a way you wish they had not. The Prime Minister listed some but I look forward to hearing about more northern projects, and in more detail, that are to become the focus of the investment that would have been dedicated to HS2.”

Meanwhile, Lord McLoughlin, chair of Transport for the North, said the move to cancel the northern leg of HS2 was “naturally disappointing”.

He said:

“It’s undeniable that this will be seen by many as a missed opportunity for the region, and the country as a whole. Only last week, northern business and political leaders came together at our TfN Board to speak with ‘one voice’ to reaffirm our position that HS2 and NPR in full are vital to truly transform the North.

“The announcement of investment in the region is obviously welcome. And we will look to work with government to fully understand the implications for the north of the proposals set out today in the Prime Minister’s speech, and consult with our board on the best way forward in light of this new change of policy.

“There are still quite a few areas that require further clarification from the Department for Transport, which we will be seeking from them.”

Andrew Jones MP: climate policy shift ‘practical and pragmatic’

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has described major changes by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the government’s net zero policies as “practical and pragmatic”.

Mr Sunak announced at a press conference yesterday that a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars would be delayed by five years until 2035.

He also confirmed a nine-year delay in the ban on new fossil fuel heating for off-gas-grid homes to 2035.

The Prime Minister also raised the boiler upgrade grant by 50% to £7,500 to help households who want to replace their gas boilers.

Mr Sunak said the government “risks losing the consent of the British people” if it moved too fast on green policies.

In response to the changes, Conservative MP Mr Jones said the decision by Mr Sunak would still tackle the government’s net zero target.

He said:

“The most important point from the Prime Minister’s statement was that net zero by 2050 is still central to the government and is still mandated by law. I am wholly supportive of our efforts to cut carbon and protect our planet for future generations.

“Indeed, the UK has decarbonised significantly faster than all other G7 nations. Since 2010 UK carbon emissions per capita have fallen by nearly 40%, almost double the fall seen in the EU.

“This statement made two changes to the timetable for two elements of our national progress. They were practical and pragmatic.”

Mr Jones added:

“We also saw increased financial support for boiler upgrades and this comes on the back of more progress for onshore and offshore wind, plus carbon capture.

“There had been growing concern, particularly in off grid rural areas, that the rules on changing boilers were very difficult and presented many households with bills they would struggle to meet.

“It is important now to use the time to continue the national work to achieve net zero and to do this is in a way that is fair.“

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‘Rolling back commitments’

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon

However, Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have described the move as damaging to the UK’s reputation.

Tom Gordon, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for the constituency, said:

“What Rishi Sunak should see in front of him is the opportunity to embrace the industries of the future and protect our environment and planet for coming generations. 

“Instead he is set to on rolling back our country’s climate commitments, damaging our reputation as a global leader, and has blatant disregard for the UK car industry.”

The Stray Ferret also approached Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith, and Labour MP for Selby and Ainsty, which includes south Harrogate, Keir Mather, for their views on the subject but did not receive a response.

Andrew Jones MP urges Prime Minister to ease ‘strain’ on access to Harrogate NHS dentists

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones today urged the Prime Minister to tackle the “immediate strain” facing local people trying to access NHS dentists.

Concerns about a shortage of NHS dentists in Harrogate were heightened last week when Chatsworth House Dental Clinic, on King’s Road, said it will stop treating NHS patients at the end of the year.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions today, Mr Jones said he and fellow North Yorkshire MPs met with the local integrated care board last week to discuss ways of improving dentistry provision. He added:

“But when surgeries suddenly close to NHS patients without notice as one in Harrogate did very recently, an immediate strain is put on local provision.

“Will the Prime Minister look at what can be done in these circumstances to ensure that no one is left without access to an NHS dentist?”

Mr Sunak pledged to “look into this issue” and said Mr Jones would be “reassured” to know the government was investing £3 billion a year into dentistry. He added there were no geographical restrictions on which dentists people could attend.

‘Sitting on the sidelines’

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, discussing healthcare issues with Tom Gordon, the party's parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Tom Gordon with Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesperson.

The man who hopes to succeed Mr Jones as Harrogate and Knaresborough MP at the next election accused his rival of “sitting on the sidelines” over dentistry.

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, said he was “pleased that after 13 years Andrew Jones has finally bowed to pressure and asked a question in Parliament about the dentist crisis affecting local residents”, adding:

“In the last six months, the Lib Dems have been increasing the pressure on him to do this. We have set up a dentists survey, arranged a meeting with the Lib Dem shadow health minister and made sure that questions were asked in Parliament about this issue.

“We’ve heard awful stories about how local people have been putting up with pain as they can’t afford to see a dentist. It shouldn’t have required a concerted campaign to make our MP act.”

“We’re determined to keep on fighting for the cash that will re-establish NHS dentistry in our area. We hope Andrew Jones will join us in this fight rather than sitting on the sidelines as he has done over this and many other issues for the last 13 years.”

Following his meeting with Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board last week, Mr Jones said:

“Dental services have been recovering but there is much more progress to be made.

“It is important that action is taken swiftly to expand the NHS dental provision in our area.”

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visits Harrogate nursery

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited a nursery in Harrogate today.

Mr Sunak visited Busy Bees on Hornbeam Park along with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to meet parents and early years childcare providers.

The Prime Minister and Ms Keegan were shown around the nursery on Hookstone Road by centre director Sarah Saynor, alongside Busy Bees’ group chief quality officer Gill Jones.

The visit comes as the government is planning to increase funded childcare hours.

Mr Sunak joined children in painting and outdoor play activities. He also spoke with local parents about their views on the changes the government is making to early years education funding.

Mr Sunak said:

“I was delighted to visit Busy Bees Nursery at Hornbeam Park today.

“Providing high-quality, affordable childcare for families is a priority for the government, so it was fantastic to see how dedicated the Busy Bees staff are to creating a safe and nurturing environment for the children in their care.”

Gill Jones said it was a pleasure to introduce Mr Sunak and Ms Keegan to children and show them what the nursery provider does. She added:

“We are committed to giving every child the best start in life and were pleased to be able to offer further insight into the importance of helping more parents and children to access affordable quality early years education, whilst ensuring nurseries receive the support needed.”

Pictured above: (left to right) Alex Norford, Freya Skelton, Jessica Lofthouse, Toni-Joy Lavisher, Louise Ingham, Rosie James and Baby Aubrey, Rishi Sunak, Sarah Saynor, Gillian Keegan, Helen Burton, Gill Jones and Karen MacKay.

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