Tory apologises for making jibe at ‘godawful’ Blackpool

A CONSERVATIVE minister has apologised for describing Birmingham and Blackpool as “godawful”.

Heather Wheeler, a junior Cabinet Office minister, made the remarks on the same day that Boris Johnson delivered a key speech in the seaside Lancashire resort.

Speaking at a technology conference in London, the Tory MP for South Derbyshire said: “I was at a conference in Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere godawful.”

Ms Wheeler later apologised for her comments, writing on Twitter: “Whilst speaking at a conference on Thursday, I made an inappropriate remark that does not reflect my actual view. I apologise for any offence caused”.

The comments, first reported by technology journalist Chris Middleton, were made during an event entitled The 2022 to 2025 Roadmap to a Digital Future.

Labour seized on the remarks, calling them “clueless and offensive”. Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, tweeted that “the disrespect is off the scale”, adding that Ms Wheeler has “put her utter contempt for voters on show”.

Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, wrote on Twitter: “They tell us they’re levelling up the country but this is what they truly think.

“They can’t even tell the difference between ‘Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere godawful’. Clueless and offensive”.

Speaking in Blackpool on Thursday, Boris Johnson vowed repeatedly to cut taxes but declined to say when and how.

The Prime Minister labelled the UK’S rising tax burden an “abberation”, saying the overall tax burden was now “very high” and must be tackled “sooner than later”.

The speech centred on housing policies, including extending Right to Buy.

Ms Wheeler was elected as a Conservative MP in May 2010.

The Conservative Party conference is due to take place in Birmingham this October.