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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Louisa Gregson

It's the Red Wall town that turned blue for the first time ever - but would it vote for Boris Johnson now?

Working class town Heywood helped turn the northern Labour red wall Conservative blue at the last election.

The town was always a Labour stronghold until Chris Clarkson won it for Boris Johnson's Conservative party.

While it was reasoned the communities in both Heywood and neighbouring town Middleton turned blue due to voters wanting an end to the stalling of Brexit and more control over immigration, the 'left behind' communities quickly became part of the Prime minister's 'levelling-up' agenda.

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So, as the Prime Minister hits the headlines over attending a BYOB party in the grounds of Number 10 and further reports of Downing Street lockdown parties on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral, the Manchester Evening News headed to Heywood to ask "Would you still vote for Boris now?"

Steve Mulqueen, a butcher of 30 years, has owned butcher shop 'Steve the butcher' on Market Place in Heywood for five years.

Despite not having 'a huge interest in politics', he says he has a 'moral opinion' that partying on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral was wrong.

"It absolutely broke my heart to see the Queen sat on her own as a single figure, grieving her husband, " he says.

Steve says he was brought up working class and would not vote Tory on principle but thinks lack of decent opposition has caused a problem.

"That's the problem with democracy," he says, "If they had had a leader that was popular, it might have been different.

"People voted for the best of a bad bunch."

Steve Mulqueen (ABNM Photography)

Michael Macdonald, 28, is the manager of Vaping store TGI Vapors and says although he would have voted Conservative in the past, he is in doubt that he will in the future.

He says the actions of the Tory party are hypocritical and "he is getting to the point of not caring."

Michael says he feels the party stick together to keep quiet about breaking rules. "That's what happened when Dominic Cummings broke the rules, " he says, "It's like they are all mates and just keep hush."

And he says, for him, Boris is a problem.

"I did not want him in Parliament," he says.

"He does not seem like a person capable of brushing his own hair, let alone running a country.

"He seems like a buffoon, and looks like he should be in a circus - it's like being led by a circus clown."

Micheal MacDonald (ABNM Photography)

Kellie Woods, 42, is 'born and bred' in Heywood and works as a shift manager at The Queen Anne pub.

She says she doesn't vote Conservative but feels Boris Johnson is getting a bad rap.

"I think he is being made a scapegoat," she says.

What do you think? Have your say in our comments below

"He took leadership at a really hard time with Covid and has tried his best for the British people.

"I don't know if it is because he is charismatic but I don't like dislike the man - young people who come in here seem to like him, maybe because they find him funny - like when he was on the zip wire."

But Kellie says she feels he will have to go.

"Even his own MP's are calling for him to go," she says.

Kellie also said she found the behaviour of Number Ten on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral "disrespectful."

"The Queen is still head of state, and head of parliament and that was disrespectful."

But she says she still finds him a likeable person.

"Maybe that's why he has got away with so much," she says. "Because he is like a class clown.

"We have never had a Prime Minister like him. He is not someone you can really hate."

Enjoying a pint in the pub is John Heyworth, 52, who owns the local Blue Rose newsagent.

John says he voted Tory in the last election and will do so again in the next.

And he says he feels breaking the rules by having a party should not detract from the greater picture.

He said: "I don't think he is alone in what he had done.

"Where do you draw the line?

"I could not go to my aunties funeral, but I had friends round for drinks in the garden.

"They are wrong in what they have done but there are far more pressing issues.

"We are the first country that is going to be led out of the lockdown - why don't the media focus on that instead of fringe trivialities."

John Heyworth (ABNM Photography)

Friend Terry Scott, 71, has lived in Heywood for 50 years and heartily disagrees.

He too has voted Conservative in the past, but like Michael and Dairi, says he will not be voting for them again.

"I don't like Boris," he states.

"He was proud of being European, then suddenly he changed his view and became a Brexiteer.

"I think if Theresa May had still been in power she would have done a far better job than Boris Johnson's cabinet - because to be part of the cabinet you have to be a Brexiteer.

"Fifty per cent of the cabinet should not be there - they are just junior ministers.

"Thousands of deaths have been caused because of the people who are running the country and it has put me off the Tory party forever."

For Terry, holding a BYOB party in the garden is less of a problem.

"The sneaky party does not bother me that much, I have some sympathy.

"But though I used to vote Tory - not anymore."

Elsewhere, a number of shop keepers say they believe there is a general vibe of mistrust of Boris in the town and a feeling of being let down.

"I think everyone feels the same," one shop manager tells me, "A lot of people voted Tory because they wanted to end all the immigration.

"But they won't be voting for him again. His actions have been disgusting."

But seamstress Iliyana Tskankova, 55 disagrees.

She has owned M2M Style professional dress maker and alterations for eight years and says without government help she would not have been able to keep her business.

Iliyana is from Bulgaria originally and her daughter works with her, busily sewing at the machine as I walk in.

She says she thinks Boris Johnson is doing a 'super' job, has helped her keep afloat and that having a party is not a big problem in the grand scheme of things.

Iliyana Tskankova (ABNM Photography)

"The party is a small problem, " she says. "He has been dealing with this for two years and people need to be realistic.

"I don't understand what the problem is.

"There are 66 million in the country and he has told the public they must protect themselves.

"In other countries there is so much mistrust, but here - he is getting people vaccinated.

"He is doing a super job and of course I will vote for him."

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