Jay Slater's mum issues statement after police search ends
Plus: Integrity and windfarms hot topics at our Fylde hustings and fascist friendship row
So here we are - only one day to go until the talking is done and the people have their say. In less than 24 hours the polling stations open and millions of people will vote for their next MP and, by all expectations, elect a change of government.
There’ll be coverage from The Lead through the night and early hours as the winners are declared, with reporters including myself located at various Northern counts. Keep an eye on The Lead’s social media for all the latest on what’s happening.
While the national picture might look like a foregone conclusion, there has been no shortage of effort, debate and campaigning across Lancashire. Our latest hustings took place in Fylde on Sunday and covered topics including plans for a windfarm in the Irish Sea involving a major on-shore cabling operation.
Paul Faulkner, who once more proved himself an excellent hustings chair, wrote about the candidates’ opposition in one of his articles from the night, observing opposition from each of the candidates present.
Interestingly though, they all also said they welcomed wind power and green energy but not the Morgan and Morecambe scheme as it was currently proposed - one question would be if there ever could be a plan which effectively meets the need for green energy while also placating unhappy residents.
The night also saw the discussion of integrity in politics - a hot topic given the conduct of previous MP, Mark ‘bad people’ Menzies. Tom Calver, contesting the seat for Labour, said one of the things he found saddest about “the last 14 years” was “the decline in standards”.
“When you start to accept those standards yourself, you start to accept it from everyone else as well. It has to be about service before self, it has to be about constituencies before career, it has to be about country before parties. So it’s not just the integrity of individuals, it’s the integrity of parties as well.”
Tom Calver
You can read more of Paul’s coverage here:
Fylde candidates' integrity tested as they seek to replace MP locked up by 'bad people'
'No point' increasing trains to Fylde towns if they are then cancelled
Fylde candidates make sewage, substations and farming their top priorities
The sense of either mistrust or apathy towards politicians has been a constant throughout the campaign. From speaking with members of the public and reading and watching vox pops, it seems scandals such as Partygate have affected the reputation of not only those involved, but MPs from all parties.
One of the many challenges facing Keir Starmer when he almost certainly becomes Prime Minister this week will be fighting those attitudes and proving his government can be different to the ones which have caused so much public anger.
This issue was touched on by BBC Lancashire political reporter Mike Stevens in his piece on the state of play across the county ahead of the election.
“This is an election like no other in Lancashire – there are far more candidates than I’ve ever known and for the first time in a long time, there’s likely to be an interesting story on results day in pretty much every part of the county.”
Mike Stevens
Reform has been facing increased scrutiny as July 4 gets closer and its Hyndburn candidate is among those forced to answer questions about their conduct or associations. The Lancashire Telegraph reports the Reform Hyndburn’s Facebook page is listed as ‘friends’ with New British Union leader, Gary Raikes.
Mr Raikes previously led the Scottish branch of the British National Party (BNP) and then Britain First and has openly supported fascist policies and fascist groups. Labour’s candidate Sarah Smith described the connection as “deeply concerning” while Sara Britcliffe, who hopes to be re-elected as Conservative MP, said it was “despicable”.
Hyndburn candidate Richard Oakley denied any knowledge of the matter, adding that he does not control the page. He said he has no interest in Gary Raikes or facism before describing the incident as a “smear”.
The Times has previously reported (£) that at least 41 - or almost one in 10 - Reform candidates were Facebook friends with Raikes.
Away from the election, and indeed the country, Jay Slater’s mum Debbie Duncan has issued a statement calling after Spanish police ended their search for the missing 19-year-old.
In a statement issued through British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, Debbie spoke of the family’s pain, while also calling for privacy from media intrusion, and describing conspiracy theories and speculation surrounding his disappearance as “vile”. You can read the full statement below:
“My son, Jay Dean Slater, came to the holiday island of Tenerife on the 13th of June with his friend to attend a music festival. On the 17th of June after not returning to his apartment he was reported as a missing person. Jay is a normal guy who is in his 3rd year of an apprenticeship, and he is a very popular young man with a large circle of friends.
“We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance. Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.
“We do not have any information on his whereabouts. The Guardia Civil have worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay's last phone call was traced. They conducted a land search for 12 days which involved every resource they had available.
“Although the land search ended, the Spanish police still continue with their investigations into why Jay had travelled to the location so far away from his accommodation. We offer our sincere thanks to the Spanish authorities who continue to follow lines of enquiries.
“We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay's disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.”
🔥 A Lancashire tourist has told of being caught up in "scary" wildfires while on holiday in Greece (BBC).
⚖️ Two companies could be prosecuted over the deaths of Chorley man Lee Horton and a colleague (BBC).
🛑 More than 200 warnings a day were sent during the grace period of a new bus-only route in Preston city centre (Blog Preston).
🚯 Former Blackburn mayor Hussain Akhtar has been fined after dumping rubbish on the town’s bonfire (Lancashire Telegraph).
🚌 Preston Bus has been accused of “taking the piss” amid unhappiness over increased fares for school children (LancsLive).
🌆 Images of Rossendale’s proposed new events space, street upgrades and sculpture have been released (Lancashire Telegraph).
🏥 A terminally ill woman says she was forced to sleep on the floor at Blackpool Victoria Hospital due to a lack of beds (Blackpool Gazette).
🎸 Two teenagers who were given Taylor Swift’s plectrum at the end of a concert say they will “treasure it and never sell it” (Blog Preston).
Thanks for reading today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. If you’ve enjoyed reading, please share so others can find it too and subscribe to receive future issues. I’ll be back on Friday with a special post-election edition looking at the vote result and how the county’s new political landscape lies.
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