by ALAN CROSS
on behalf of Dorset Labour

THE one platitude one often hears on the doorsteps of North Dorset at election times is ‘I support the Tories as the Party that brings stability to Britain’.

Generations have been brought up to believe that supposed truism.

This month’s events took another lump out of that myth. Witness the spectacle of hand-wringing over handing over diaries, WhatsApp messages and mobile phone records to the Hallett public inquiry on Covid-19.

It really does not matter who is not providing information in an unredacted form – Boris Johnson or the Cabinet Office. It is up to Lady Hallett to decide what matters are relevant to her inquiry and what is not, not Johnson or his successors.

This only heightens the feelings of the British electorate so eloquently already expressed at last month’s local elections that this administration cannot be trusted.

In North Dorset our very own Tory has hit a spot of bother with his expenses. It would appear Simon Hoare incurred a London Congestion Charge and failed to respond to four penalty point notices, thereby incurring £320 in penalties, which he subsequently claimed on expenses.

While he tries to remain silent on the matter, in Northern Ireland two voices from the province have called his actions ‘shameless’ and ‘a resignation matter’ for his position as chair of the Northern Ireland select committee.

READ MORE: Simon Hoare claimed motoring charges on expenses: Report
READ MORE: Click here for the latest political columns from your New Blackmore Vale

Why do you not use the train get to London, Simon, like your constituents?

Meanwhile, following Mr Farage’s admission that Brexit has not worked, the Sunday Times ran a readers’ poll last edition when the vote was 87% to 13% that Brexit has been a disaster.

Given that, I believe Keir Starmer should come out more strongly in favour of a much closer alignment with Europe, if only for trade purposes.

With UK personal taxation at its highest level for over 60 years and the petro-chemicals companies posting such obscenely huge profits, a Labour administration should take these factors into account when deciding the shape of economic and taxation policy in its first few months.

This will help re-balance the taxation spread to the ultra-wealthy and give immense relief to the middle ground and poorest in society.

Meanwhile, we have the worrying signs of a schism in a Tory Party that is increasingly sliding to the right.

At two recent Neo-Con conferences in London, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, fresh from her attempts to persuade her civil servants to arrange a private speed awareness course, was the apparent ‘star.’

She will have to be watched by her boss, Rishi Sunak, as she plots to succeed him as Tory leader.