Now Southport Tories say questions about Boris Johnson are 'unhelpful'

Southport journalist Martin Hovden writes: The refusal of local Tories to say whether they have confidence in the Prime Minister took a bizarre turn today when senior town centre councillor Sir Ron Watson said such questions are “not relevant and unhelpful”.

Sir Ron (pictured right with fellow Dukes ward Councillor Mike Prendergast) was replying to an email I sent to the resort's four Tory representatives on Sefton Council last Thursday, asking if the PM retained their support after he survived Monday night's vote? And if they refuse to answer the question, will they explain why?

His reply in full is: “Sorry, Martin, but questions designed in this manner are clearly designed to pursue a particular agenda which I think is not not relevant and unhelpful.”

Yet again local Tories are showing utter contempt for the people of Southport.

They want to protect the man who partied in Downing Street when people died alone and the rest of the country followed strict Covid regulations.

So, Southport Tory MP Damien Moore refuses to answer the confidence question, as do his councillor colleagues Mike Prendergast (Dukes), Mike Morris (Cambridge), Sir Ron Watson (Dukes) and Tony Brough (Ainsdale).

Councillor Prendergast is the leader of the Tory Group on the local authority. Sadly, he has shown no leadership skills at all over this subject. Leaders are supposed to lead, to speak on behalf of their group. He prefers to stay silent on a subject which is relevant to every single people in the country: the Prime Minister, the most important politician in the country, broke Covid rules and it took him months to admit the offence.

Councillor Morris did reply last Thursday but simply tried to divert attention from Boris Johnson by highlighting the current investigation into Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Raynor. As I pointed out, no charges at the time of writing have been brought against Starmer and Raynor, but Johnson has already been found guilty and fined.

As for Sir Ron Watson's claim that my questions are designed to pursue a particular agenda? Yes I'm guilty - guilty of wanting to encourage our local politicians of any party to think for themselves, to put self-interest and self-preservation to one side and to be honest and transparent with the electorate.

It's the right thing to do.