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, historic elections in Northern Ireland saw Sinn Fein become the largest party and the Sue Gray Downing Street parties report was finally published.
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 May 5, Mr Jones attended the council election count at the Harrogate Convention Centre. He refused to speak with the Stray Ferret when approached for comment on the results.
- On May 12, Mr Jones said in the Commons that he has been contacted by ‘distressed constituents’ who are waiting for their passports. He said: “It can be highly stressful for them to be chasing documents as they approach departure day.”
- He was back in Harrogate the next day to cut a ribbon and officially open the new Carer’s Resource centre in Harrogate.
- On May 17, he met TV presenter and campaigner Quentin Willson to discuss electric vehicles.
- On May 20, Mr Jones told Parliament that cuts to Northern train services will damage business and make it impossible for some commuters to be at work on time.
- On May 22, the MP was spotted campaigning for the Conservatives in Wakefield for the upcoming by-election.
- On May 23, Mr Jones voted for the government’s Public Order Bill. Critics of the bill say it will erode people’s right to protest.
- On May 24, Mr Jones asked Thirsk MP Kevin Hollinrake if the Home Office has promised any extra funding for local services impacted by the Linton-on-Ouse asylum centre. Mr Hollinrake replied: “Apparently there will be a double-manned police car in the village at all times.”
- On May 27, Mr Jones met the group Melanoma Focus and posed for a photo.
- Harrogate & Knaresborough Conservative MP Andrew Jones wrote to a constituent that he feels “anger” over partygate — but would not say whether he has submitted a letter of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Read more:
Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.
In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:
- On May 1, Mr Smith met with the Tory candidates in Ripon for the North Yorkshire County Council elections Cllr Mike Chambers and Thomas Averre. Both candidates failed to win on May 5.
- The MP wrote an op-ed in the Daily Mail following the elections in Northern Ireland that saw Sinn Fein become the largest party for the first time. He warned the union between the UK and Northern Ireland is under threat.
- On May 18, Mr Smith met Pateley Bridge artist James Owen Thomas. Mr Thomas likes to express himself through the beauty of the outdoors.
- On the same day, Mr Smith met Justin Scully, general manager of Fountains Abbey, to discuss the Skell Valley Project.
- In an interview with Politics Home’s podcast The Rundown, Smith suggested there was a “question” over how committed some MPs are to Northern Ireland.
- Mr Smith spoke in the Commons for the first time in two months in a debate about the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. He said “For Northern Ireland to come to terms with its past, there is a need for acknowledgement from all sides: from the IRA for the thousands of murders; from loyalists for the hundreds of killings; from the Irish Government for their role in the troubles; and for the killings and collusion by UK forces.”
In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:
- On May 25, the Boris Johnson ally backed the PM following publication of the Sue Gray report. He tweeted: “He now needs to get on with the job, levelling up the country, tackling global challenges inc cost of living & Ukraine crisis & delivering for the country & for the people who put their faith in him in 2019.”
- On May 22, the MP hit out at London Northwestern Railway following a My Chemical Romance concert in Milton Keynes. He thundered: “Dear @LNRailway a disgrace you have not arranged enough trains to get hundreds of young people home after midnight following a concert in Milton Keynes.”
- The MP revealed himself as a fan of pop-punk act Blink 182 during a discussion about the celebrity wedding of Kourtney Kardashian and the band’s drummer Travis Barker. He tweeted: “To be fair, @travisbarker is one of the best drummers I’ve seen and worthy of his fame.”
- In The Times on May 18, Mr Adams co-authored an article with York Outer MP, and former Harrogate councillor, Julian Sturdy, that said Great British Railways should be based in York.
- He twice criticised Labour leader Keir Starmer over the so-called ‘beergate’ row. “Wowser”, he tweeted. “The hypocrisy of
@Keir_Starmer has been breathtaking and he’ll need some fancy lawyer dance moves to explain this one away.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson should resign over his ‘lack of leadership’ in handling the partygate scandal still hanging over Downing Street.
That’s the view of Ripon councillor Stuart Martin, chair of the Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire County Council, who will not be standing for re-election after 23 years in local politics.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“In my time as a firefighter and crew manager, I knew that I was duty bound to set an example and I don’t think the prime minister has done this in his handling of the partygate issue.
“He should step down because of the lack of leadership that he showed.”
Cllr Martin, pointed out:
“I must stress that I am not speaking on behalf of the council, but from a personal perspective.”
In March 2020, when the country was in its first covid-lockdown and he and his wife April were serving as the Mayor and Mayoress of the Harrogate District, she contracted coronavirus and went into two weeks of self-isolation.
The Mayoress’s condition deteriorated rapidly and she was rushed into Harrogate District Hospital where her life was saved in the intensive care unit.
At the time, Cllr Martin, said:
“I had to say goodbye to her in the ambulance and I didn’t know whether or not I would ever see her again.”
A second chance
Former nurse April, who is still suffering from long covid, said:
“Because of the skill of everybody at the hospital, we were given a second chance and that was in our thinking, when we looked to the future and Stuart decided it was time to step down.”
The couple, who will celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary in June, have two grown-up daughters and plan to spend more time with them and their six grandchildren, aged from five to 16.
The frightening experience of two years ago remains fresh in their minds and with daughter Gemma working as a paramedic, they have an everyday reminder of the vital role that front-life staff continue to play in tackling the pandemic and keeping people safe.
This was highlighted at Christmas, when the lack of rapid flow test kits put additional strain on the emergency services.
Cllr Martin, said:
“It was a chaotic and ridiculous situation, with paramedics urgently requiring testing kits to ensure that they were clear of the virus and able to care for others.”
Continuing work in the community
The Queen and Prince Philip, pictured in 2004 with the then Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon Councillor Stuart Martin and his wife April
As the government eases the restrictions on daily life, the Martins will continue to remain vigilant as they carry out their community work in Ripon and further afield.
Cllr Martin, one of the founders of TASC Madagascar which is helping disadvantaged people in the island country, will continue as a trustee for the charity.
He will also maintain his role as chair of trustees at Community House in Ripon, whose services are supporting hundreds of families and individuals trapped in food poverty.
Awarded an MBE IN 2010 for his charity work in Ripon and Madagascar, Cllr Martin will be playing active roles with the Ripon Community Poppy Project and as chair of the Friends of Hell Wath.
April, a former district commissioner for the Girl Guides, will continue to run a local Brownie group.
Looking back over the past 20 years, in which they have been Mayor and Mayoress of Ripon as well as the Harrogate district, a special memory came in 2004 when the Queen and Prince Philip visited the city to mark the 400th anniversary of the Royal Charter awarded by James I.
Cllr Martin, said:
“We were extremely privileged to meet them on that day and proud to have represented the people of Ripon.”
Read more:
- Ripon MP calls on PM to withdraw Starmer slur
- Concern over lack of covid test kits in Ripon
- £6,000 Antiques raid in Ripon