A North East MP has expressed his sadness following Boris Johnson's resignation as Prime Minister.
Ian Levy, MP for Blyth Valley, said the Prime Minster had taken an interest in his area, regularly asking him for updates. He said that no other Prime Minister in living memory had visited Blyth but Boris had been three times.
The conservative MP described Mr Johnson as a "strong ally" and a "friend" to the Blyth Valley. During a statement, released on Saturday morning, Mr Levy thanked him for what he had delivered and wished him well.
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He said: "Boris Johnson has been a friend to Blyth Valley. The Government under his leadership is delivering thousands of new jobs through investments in British Volt and JDR Cables, the Blyth Town Deal, returning passenger rail services on the Northumberland Line, and more besides. Boris has taken a personal interest in Blyth Valley; regularly asking me for updates. No other Prime Minister in living memory has been here. Boris has visited three times.
"I came into politics to make a difference here and Boris has been a strong ally, receptive to what needs to be done to support left behind areas. I wish the Prime Minister and his family all the best and thank him for what he has delivered, and I am ready to work with the next Prime Minister for the continued betterment of Blyth Valley."
The Prime Minister was forced into a humiliating apology over his handling of the Chris Pincher row, after it emerged he had forgotten about being told of previous allegations of “inappropriate” conduct. On Tuesday evening, Rishi Sunak quit as chancellor and Sajid Javid resigned as health secretary.
Mr Johnson met ministers in No 10 on Wednesday, where he was told he had lost the confidence of the Tory party and could not continue in office.Mr Levy has described Mr Johnson's resignation as a "bittersweet moment" for him - but has acknowledged that his opinion may not be a popular one.
He said: "I know this will not be a popular thing to say with everybody, but the resignation of the Prime Minister is a bittersweet moment for me. On one hand we can move forward as a nation but on the other I am sad at the loss of a Prime Minister who led us to an extraordinary election victory in December 2019, broke the Brexit deadlock, saw us through the unprecedented Covid pandemic and demonstrated strong leadership in the world’s support for Ukraine. There was much more he wished to do which will now be delivered by a new Prime Minister."
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