‘No soft touch’, MP Moore tells Sefton
SOUTHPORT’S new MP Damien Moore has used his maiden House of Commons speech to accuse Sefton Council of taking advantage of the town.
Mr Moore became the town’s first Conservative MP since the 1992 election earlier this month, claiming a 6% majority after picking up 18,541 votes.
Speaking to the Visiter in his first interview after being elected, he promised to attract more investment to Southport and to ensure that the town had a strong voice nationally and within the Liverpool City Region.
The former supermarket manager repeated the sentiment in Parliament on Tuesday and pledged that Southport would no longer be used to support other nearby areas.
He said: “Southport today is on the fringes of Merseyside. In truth though, it is a unique town, which has its own special identity, and its citizens have a strong sense of civic pride.
“It is famous for its great sands, which stretch far out into the Irish Sea, leading to the joke among its residents that, in England, you are never more than 70 miles from the sea – unless, of course, you live in Southport.
“Today, Southport’s diligent and hard-working residents find themselves part of Sefton Council, and many of them feel they have too often been taken for granted, as their income is diverted into other parts of Merseyside. Southport’s public services have not been the beneficiaries of Sefton Council’s coffers, much to the chagrin of the town’s citizens. The people of Southport are egalitarian and charitable, but too often they have been taken advantage of, and the town has suffered as a result.
“I can assure my constituents that Southport will no longer be a soft touch, and I will solicit investment into the town every day I have the privilege of representing it.”
Mr Moore also paid tribute to former MP John Pugh, who stepped down before the election, having first being elected to the role in 2002.
The veteran Lib Dem politician may now plan to return as a councillor.
Mr Moore said: “John was a diligent member for the constituency for 16 years and is understandably held in high esteem. He quickly developed a reputation as a capable constituency MP and I hope to be as well regarded by my constituents as he was. I wish him and his wife, Annette, a happy retirement.
“John was a perennial rebel in the coalition Government — he rebelled against the Whip over 30 times.
“Whether I will have the bravado of my predecessor only time will tell, but be assured that my constituency and my constituents will be at the forefront of my mind whenever I consider Parliamentary affairs.”