The Conservative candidate in Tiverton and Honiton accused the media of preventing the public from “continuing” from Partygate and twice refused to say that Boris Johnson was honest.
In an interview with the Guardian, Helen Herford acknowledged that the party was facing a very difficult battle to preserve its former super-safe seat and criticized what she called the media’s “permanent return to Partygate”. Asked if she believed Boris Johnson was fundamentally honest, Herford twice declined to say.
Herford, a former head teacher and city councilor in Honiton who now runs a beauty training business, is defending a majority of more than 24,000 won in 2019 by MP Neil Parish, who resigned in April after admitting to watching pornography on your phone in the Municipality. camera.
But the June 23 by-elections, which come on the same day as the Tories are defending another seat in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, are seen as an extremely close race between Herford and Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Ford.
An internal poll by the Liberal Democrats on those who intend to vote on by-elections on Wednesday showed the Conservatives at 46% and the Liberals at 44%.
“I think it’s going to be very cramped and we can’t take anything for granted,” Herford said. “It can be reduced to very small numbers.”
Asked why a place the Conservatives have held in their various geographical variations for more than a century is now in jeopardy, Herford said the issues raised by voters include the cost of living and “what happened to Neil Parish”.
She added: “And third, persistent regurgitation by the Partygate media – although a line has been drawn in the sand and there has been a report, it is constantly in the news and people are not allowed to move from it.”
“So, of course, that’s reflected. I hear this on the doorsteps – people are tired of watching it. They are tired and tired of listening to him. They want to talk about what’s important. “
Asked if this meant that the media was partly to blame for the Tory struggles on the ground, Herford said: “It’s not necessarily the media’s fault, but I think it’s time to stop. There must be a change in the story of what is important. “
Herford said he understood voters’ concerns about the credibility of the Downing Street parties, adding: “All I can say is that the upcoming election is to elect a representative of Tiverton and Honiton, your next MP. As a former head teacher, I have a lot of confidence. When I say I will do something, I do it. That’s what’s important – the person who will represent you in Westminster. “
Asked if Johnson was equally credible, she declined to answer directly, saying: “I will give my loyalty to someone to whom the party won a third term. This has happened. We have to move on. “
Asked a second time if Johnson was fundamentally honest, she said: “I think Boris thinks he’s an honest man. The way I behave, the way I behave, and I think you’re trying to catch me here.
Asked if she was comfortable joining a parliamentary party led by Johnson, she said: “I am comfortable representing Tiverton and Honiton as their Conservative the majority of the party. That is what I will strive for. Everything else happened. I look forward to the future.
“I do not want to play party politics. I don’t want to be involved in things that have happened. I want to talk about what I can supply for Tiverton and Honiton.
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