• 5 months ago
Labour’s ‘battle bus’ visited the election seat of mid and West Pembrokeshire on the weekend, where candidate Henry Tufnell said he wants to “turn the page on 14 years of Austerity,” with “a decade of renewal under Labour”.
The battle bus arrived at Neyland on the afternoon of June 30, Shadow Digital Minister Chris Bryant greeting local activists and Mr Tufnell.
Speaking to activists present, including former Labour MP Nick Ainger, MSs Joyce Watson and Eluned Morgan, along with Ceredigion Preseli Labour hopeful Jackie Jones , Chris Bryant said: “On Thursday, the country faces a stark choice. More of the same sleaze, scandal, chaos and instability with the Conservatives, or a chance to press the reset button and have a fresh start with two Labour governments working together in partnership in the service of the people. But we are out today reminding people that change only happens if you vote Labour on July 4.”
He added: “We’ve seen the biggest fall in living standards in our history, you know that in your family finances, the fastest rise in mortgage rates in our history, people simply haven’t been able to keep up, Rishi Sunak, who has probably been more out of touch than any PM in our history probably doesn’t even understand that.
“It’s not just Boris Johnson and the lies, the endless lies, and the Chris Pincher, and the Jacob Rees Mogg nonsense and all that kind of stuff, it’s the complete undermining of the democratic system over these years.”
Mr Bryant finished by channelling TV celebrity drag queen Ru Paul, saying Mr Sunak should “sashay away”.
Henry Tufnell said: “On Thursday this week, we have a fantastic opportunity for change, it’s fantastic to have Chris, Nick Ainger and Jackie Jones and others; we’ve got the full team here, working together we can really achieve positive change.
“In four days, Pembrokeshire will make a decision on what future they see for themselves and for the country. We are out speaking with hundreds of people every day to show them that there is an alternative to Rishi’s Conservative chaos. It doesn’t have to be like this – change is possible, if you vote Labour on July 4.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Tufnell said his “number one” priority would be the development of ‘green prosperity’ to get “well paid jobs in Pembrokeshire”.
When asked what he would do to address cutbacks in local public services, ultimately funded by Westminster, which has led to an increase in council tax levels in the county, he said: “We’re suffering 14 years of Conservative austerity and that’s what’s led to underfunding of our public services, and that’s what’s key to this whole election. We want to turn the page on Thursday, we want to have a decade of national renewal under Labour.”

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00:00I've also got to remind them about, frankly, the shower of shenanigans that we've had across all these years.
00:10You know, it's not just Boris Johnson and the lies, the endless lies, the Chris Pincher and the Owen Paterson
00:16and the Jacob Rees-Mogg nonsense and all that kind of stuff.
00:19It's just the complete undermining of the whole democratic system by trying to rig it in the way that they have over these years.
00:28That hasn't been talked about much in an election because it hasn't been talked about much on the doorsteps, if I'm right.
00:33I mean, the stuff that people have really talked about is cost of living, mortgages,
00:39and anxiety that nothing seems to work in the country and we want to get things back to the NHS.
00:45One thing, obviously, the Tories have been talking up the much-vaunted super-majority.
00:50A, do you think Labour is going to get this super-majority?
00:54And what effect do you think it will have if you have?
00:58Now, I know I look like Mystic Meg, but I am not actually in the business either of placing bets on majorities
01:05or in the business of predicting what's going to happen.
01:07All I know is that we have spoken to, we've had two million conversations in Wales with Welsh voters
01:13and we're going to have a whole load more between now and Thursday evening.
01:16If people want change, they've got to vote for it.
01:19Some postal votes are in already, but the vast majority of people haven't voted in a long while.
01:24There's been things like EO writing, high levels of council tax in Penrhydder,
01:28as a result, obviously, of funding available.
01:31And we all know it comes from Welsh Government, but it directly comes from Westminster then.
01:35So, what will you do to address that lack of funding in local government?
01:40Well, that's the thing, isn't it, that we're suffering with over 40 years of concerns of austerity
01:45and that's led to underfunding of our public services.
01:48And that's what's key to this whole election, that we want to turn the page on Thursday
01:54and we want to have a decade of national renewal under Labour.

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