'Disgusting': Radcliffe reacts to claims government blackmailed MP over town's new school

21.01.2022 - 20:03 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Voters in Radcliffe say the alleged ‘threat’ from Downing Street to pull funding for a high school if its MP did not toe the party line is ‘disgusting’ if true.

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford made the comments yesterday (January 20) after defecting to Labour from the Conservatives 24 hours earlier.

He was responding to accusations made by William Wragg that alleged Number 10 officials ‘blackmailed’ backbench Tory MPs into voting with the government.

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Mr Wakeford told the BBC: “I was threatened that I would not get the school for Radcliffe if I didn't vote in one particular way.

“This is a town that's not had high school for the best part of 10 years — and how do you feel when holding back [the] regeneration of a town for a vote?”

Number 10 has denied the accusations, saying it was ‘not aware of any evidence to support what are clearly serious allegations.’

When the Manchester Evening News visited the town in Bury on Friday morning (January 21), voters there said it was ‘disgusting’ if the exchange had indeed taken place.

“We don't know if it is true,” Alex Lewis, 73, said. “It might just be a rumour.

“It makes me feel really upset. Boris is not doing very well over the last 12 months.”

Sue Devlin, 80, added: “I think it's disgusting. Radcliffe has been left so much.

“I felt angry to be honest. I tell you what, I have never listened so much [to the news].

“Boris is disgusting. I'm a royalist just to think about the Queen on her own, it's awful.”

Another woman, who only gave her name as Caitlin, agreed: “If it did happen then it is disgusting.

“They know about the catchment areas, everyone is always