THE WEEK THAT WAS
■ The Haltemprice is right:
Is there a shortage of Labour politicians in Haltemprice and Howden willing to take on sitting Tory David Davis? The local party announced this week its candidate to take on the former Brexit Secretary and his 15,000 majority is George Ayre, a councillor more than 20 miles away in Pontefract. “Haltemprice Labour Party searched far and wide for a candidate of the calibre they desired,” he said. Mr Ayre, who has represented Pontefract South on Wakefield Council since 2014, will be trying to unseat an MP who has been in place since 1997 in an area that has voted Tory since the early 19th century. But his recent activity suggests he likes a challenge. He last year led a failed coup against long-serving Wakefield Council leader Peter Box.
■ A Towns Fund called malice:
Pictures of a downbeat Boris Johnson being harangued by locals in flood-hit Stainforth were front and centre as the Tories took a major PR hit. And as the PM tried to counter accusations of a slow response to the flooding, it was one of his government’s own electionfriendly schemes that came back to bite him. One local told him: “You promised us months ago you were going to give our community £25m to make these communities better. We’re still waiting for it, Boris. Is that a lie again?” Stainforth and Doncaster are both potentially in the running to get £25m from the £3.6bn Towns Fund announced this summer. Critics point out that the areas benefiting are disproportionately in marginal seats. But if the reaction in South Yorkshire is anything to go by, he may not be getting as much credit from voters for the scheme as he would hope.
■ Giant challenge for Sheerman:
He has seen off all-comers as Huddersfield’s MP since 1979 but Labour veteran Barry Sheerman is now facing off against a candidate with even more local experience than him. Ken Davy, a local businessman who is chairman of Huddersfield Giants, is standing for the Conservatives. A pro-Brexit Conservative, Mr Davy contested Colne Valley for the Tories in general elections in 1970 and 1974. At 78 he is a year younger than his Labour opponent.