Yahoo News Rishi Sunak explains why Nuneaton seat is 'critical' during trip to cricket club
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak admitted that keeping hold of the Nuneaton seat was 'critical' to the Conservative party. After seemingly driving through the town just a matter of weeks ago, he brought the Conservative bus to Nuneaton Cricket Club earlier this afternoon - and didn't want to leave.
He joined in a number of sessions on the pitch at the club off Weddington Road, including a drill session with the under ten and under 11s team. He then faced balls being bowled by the club's ladies team - and seemed at home in the nets.
So much so that one of the members gathered at the club shouted 'Are you available Saturday? before telling the crowds: "This is the most relaxing part of my day so far."
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Time was ticking and he was urged to move on but he said:"One more? Only one?" Excited young cricket club members scrambled to have a selfie with the Prime Minister before he stopped to chat to six-year-olds Nelly Gore and Bella Whitehouse.
The Milby Primary School pupils excitedly spoke to the man who is hoping to continue to lead the country after the General Election on Thursday (July 4). This was much to the delight of one of their parents, who said: "That was so nice of him to take time out to speak to them.
"He didn't have to do that."
His trip to the club reminded him of the 'salad days' of his youth playing cricket, which he told CoventryLive that he did not have much time for nowadays. However, there was a serious side to the trip.
He knows that the seat is a huge target for Labour, leader Keir Starmer visited a school in Ansley just a matter of weeks ago and Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner saying to win the Nuneaton seat would be a ‘symbolic moment’ for the party when she called into Ambleside Sports Club with the Labour battle bus.
CoventryLive asked the country's leader just how key the town was to him and why he purposely planned to call into the town just days before people go to the polls.
"Marcus (Jones, the Conservative candidate) is a dear friend of mine, so I was definitely going to support him," he said
"I absolutely appreciate and understand that people have frustrations, with me, with the party, it has been a difficult few years for everybody with Covid and the Ukraine and, of course, we haven't got everything right and haven't made as much progress in every area as we would have liked.
"But what I would say to people is, Thursday is not a by-election, it is a really important choice about the future of our country and what that means for you and your family. If you want your taxes cut, if you want your pension protected and if you want our borders secure and migration controlled, and if you don't want someone to concrete over your precious green spaces, then you have to vote Conservatives and vote for Marcus."
He added: "Marcus, as everyone knows, works his socks off for the local community, so whatever the frustration you might have anyway with the national picture, in Marcus you have someone who has secured £50m worth of investment into regeneration, whether it is the cinema or leisure centre, has made sure that the hospital has not just had a new community diagnostic centre, which is fantastic, but it has also had two new wards and surgical theatre."
He added: "Of course it is critical to keep Nuneaton, it is critical for the people of Nuneaton to have an MP like Marcus represent them because he has a track record of delivering for people here, but he is also someone who shares the people's values.
"Like me, Marcus and I believe in a country and society where if you work hard, you should keep more of your own money."
As quickly as some of the bowlers had bowled at him, the Prime Minister's visit was soon over, but he will have one eye back on the town come early on Friday morning (July 5) to see if the town will hit him for six - or in swing his party home to success.
The Nuneaton Parliamentary candidates are Jodie Gosling – Labour Party. John Homer – Workers Party, Rob Howard - Reform UK, Marcus Jones - Conservative Party, Keith Kondakor - Green Party and Joy Salaja– Liberal Democrats.
