Tory election dates betting controversy labelled a 'stain' by local Conservative candidate

Conservative Jacob Young says allegations that some Tories used confidential information to bet on the date of next month’s General Election before it was announced are a “stain” on the party.

Mr Young was asked about trust in elected officials at a hustings event in Redcar attended by fellow General Election candidates Labour ’s Anna Turley, Liberal Democrat Chris Jones and Reform UK’s John Davies. He did not embellish on the comment, but said he could not make excuses for previous scandals which have struck the party over the past few years, which he thought were “disgusting”.

Mr Young, who is attempting to regain his Redcar seat when voters go to the polls on July 4, said he would be an “open book” and continue to be “honest and transparent” if re-elected.

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Ms Turley, who held the Redcar seat from 2015 before being defeated by Mr Young in the last General Election of 2019, said the public were in despair and she was committed to restoring standards in public life.

The former MP addressed poverty in another question posed, stating there were now 11 food banks across Redcar and Cleveland and also mentioned “baby banks” providing ad-hoc support for new mums. Ms Turley, who formerly chaired the North East Child Poverty Commission, said: “I will be a committed champion tackling child poverty in this area.”

The four candidates were asked about immigration and the Government’s Rwanda asylum policy. Mr Davies said none of the mainstream parties had the political will to deal with people attempting to illegally enter the UK and it was an “emergency situation”.

He said: “This is not about racism, it really isn’t.”

Mr Davies said his party was the only party with a plan to “stop the boats” and criticised the Home Office as “useless” in dealing with immigration, suggesting Reform UK would set up a standalone Government department in its place.

Mr Young said sending detainees to Rwanda would be worth it if it stopped people dangerously trying to cross the English Channel in dinghies. He said: “The Rwanda policy is the result of years of work trying to stop this problem.”

Labour’s Ms Turley said the policy had already failed and was “costing an absolute fortune”. Meanwhile, Lib Dem Mr Jones, a Redcar and Cleveland councillor, was applauded when he pointed out that immigrants were needed to fill some jobs, for example in care homes.

He also said “safe routes” were needed for those people from abroad who were genuinely fleeing war and hardship.

Another question from audience members focused on nuclear weapons. Mr Davies provoked laughter when he attempted to defend comments made by Nigel Farage suggesting Russia had been provoked into invading Ukraine, which he said had been taken out of context.

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All four candidates said they would retain a nuclear deterrent. There were questions too on education with Ms Turley referring to “struggling, burnt out” teachers who were leaving state schools with their morale at rock bottom.

Mr Young said a pledge by Labour to add a tax to private school fees in order to help recruit more teachers was not something he could support. He described it as potentially having the impact of “pulling up the ladder” for young people with ambitions and also pointed out that Ms Turley herself had gone to private school.

The hustings, markedly, saw no focus on local issues, although Mr Jones, a member of the Cleveland Police and Crime Panel, said reducing crime in the Redcar area would be a “key priority” of his.

About 80 people were in attendance at the session held at Newcomen Methodist Church, in Redcar. Other candidates in the Redcar constituency are Gary Conlin, of the Social Democratic Party and Ruth Hatton, of the Green party.

‘Take the temperature’

The hustings was a good chance to take the temperature of the election campaign in Redcar and it was heartening to see local democracy in action with many people present plainly invested in it. It could not be said the debate was red hot, although the room in which it took place was somewhat stifling with more than one candidate commenting on the heat and a few members of the public clutching fans to their faces.

A huge cross hovered over the podium used by speakers, while large pendants hung from walls with messages such as 'God is good' and 'My blood shed for you'. A woman in the front row held up red and amber cue cards indicating how long candidates had left to speak during their contributions so each person had roughly the same amount of time.

The host, The Reverend Kevin Highfield, proved a sardonic presence, joking about how he could not vote, originally coming from Ohio in the US, but also stating the importance of the upcoming election. He also claimed, tongue in cheek, that he could seek asylum in the UK if Donald Trump was elected as American president.

There were few flashpoints, although Mr Davies, who promised his party would “protect British culture and British values", attracted the ire of some in the audience when he referred to a school in which he claimed references to boys and girls had been banned because of “transitioning” pupils present.

He was challenged for proof of this by one man who said he worked in a school and denied such edicts were being issued, receiving a round of applause for his contribution. Another audience member feistily challenged the candidates on how they would improve the lot of WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners.

For anyone hoping the event would give them a steer on who to vote for, well, it should be said there were plenty present who had already made their minds up. This included several Labour councillors who were spotted, presumably there to lend support to Anna Turley and ensure hearty rounds of applause.

Both Ms Turley and Mr Young spoke eloquently, as befits their time spent in the House of Commons and the numerous crafting of speeches during their political career. Ms Turley said she would bring “energy and passion” to the MP role and also said Labour’s manifesto had not been as ambitious as she would have liked.

Mr Young highlighted efforts to bring jobs in green industry to Teesside and how the Government had supported people during the covid-19 pandemic. He was calm and composed, even when the room appeared against him.

Reform UK’s Mr Davies, while struggling with the feedback on his mic, spoke passionately - and loudly at points. He described grimly how the “pendulum just swings from one awful party to another”.

Lib Dem Mr Jones, from what appeared a slightly nervous start, grew confidently into the debate and a number of points he made seemed to chime with the audience. He recounted growing up in Hambleton Avenue, Redcar, and how as a child he had earnt 50p on Saturdays sweeping up at a long established family stationers taken on by his great grandfather.

Mr Jones, a senior property manager with a Teesside council, also drew on his personal experience of fostering young children with his partner and the difficulties they had faced in doing so.

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