The MP ring-round which resulted in some remarkable cost of living quotes
Local MP vox pops can be tough at the best of times — particularly when local representatives stick to the national party script.
But for one local journalist, a Friday ring round of MPs to ask about the cost of living crisis resulted in quotes which went on to make national headlines.
Most of those spoken to peddled similar lines — help is required, the new leader will be in place soon and so on — but then there was Desmond Swayne, Tory MP for the New Forest.
He was, er honest, if nothing else.
He said: “This notion that the government can wrap its arms around us and save us from every vagary of the modern world, I think is an illusion that was built by our reaction to the COVID crisis, which frankly was disastrous in my view. And I don’t want to go down the same road again, of giving people to believe that there’s a lever that governments can pull to solve all our problems.
“It’s going to be a hard winter. There’s no getting away from that, there’s a war on.
“Whilst we’re not being bombarded, we’re suffering the huge economic consequences of that invasion.
“Our part is having to live with the price rise, Ukraine has to live with the bombs and people need to get that sense of national urgency and proportion.
“Undoubtedly, there will be a government response, and clearly we’ve got to come up with something because there are very vulnerable people who are going to be cruelly exposed, but people can’t believe that the government can simply borrow money to pay all our gas bills, that isn’t going to happen.
“Let’s face it, most of us are going to have to cut our consumption in some way or make sacrifices elsewhere.”
Among the titles picking up on Mr Swayne’s quotes was the Mirror, which helpfully reminded readers that Mr Swayne was once caught asleep during a debate in the Commons.
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