I’m backing Hunt for party leader – Sir Ron
SOUTHPORT councillor Sir Ron Watson has said he will be voting for Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP in the Tory leadership elections.
He said: “Jeremy Hunt has had an extremely successful business career and I have been impressed with his proposals in respect of corporate taxation which I am sure will help businesses in the difficult years ahead.
“On a political level he was first elected with a very small majority but has increased this dramatically, parliament by parliament, and he clearly knows how to relate to people.
“He is our longest serving health secretary and we have taken a major step forward with him having persuaded the prime minister and cabinet that health should also be responsible for social care which I would identify as being the top domestic political agenda at the moment. At a time when public finances are under enormous strain, as Secretary of Sate he was able to negotiate a £20bn increase in health service spending and as foreign secretary he has proved that he can work effectively with his counterparts all over the world.
“His commitment
to increase defence spending is also welcome and I feel we can be assured that it will be targeted at the right areas.
“He is a proven and skilled negotiator which is crucial at this time where these qualities must be to the fore in respect of Brexit and where we still have a major task in persuading 27 other countries to make changes to which they are opposed as they wish to protect the integrity of the EU.
“I know people will be making the comparison with Boris Johnson MP, but I have no hesitation in saying that his people skills are very impressive and whilst this is a personal view I am sure that there is a major role for him to play and I would see this as being the Conservative party chairman able to galvanise the public to support a progressive agenda.”
His views are in opposition to the views of Southport Conservative MP Damien Moore, who backing Boris Johnson.
Alongside MPs Richard Drax and Marcus Fysh and solicitor-general Lucy Frazer, Mr Moore wrote an article in The Times, arguing that Mr Johnson was the only candidate who could “espouse a vision for Britain”.
The Southport MP was also pictured at the launch of Mr Johnson’s campaign to be the next leader.
In the article, which warned that the Conservatives faced “electoral is oblivion” if Brexit was not delivered, Mr Moore and colleagues stated: “We must recover our hopeful message of an outward looking, global Britain and reassure voters that we are still very much on the side of hard-working people. We need a leader who can espouse a vision for Britain.
“A leader able to talk confidently about our commitment to tackle climate change. A leader who can convey our Conservative message in glorious Technicolor, calling Jeremy Corbyn to account.
“Only Mr Johnson can do that. Only he can sell a one-nation vision for Britain that excites in Sunderland just as much as it does in Somerset. He has our support and he deserves yours.”
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