It was the cost of living that was on many people’s minds in Redcar town centre, where several shops lie empty or run down awaiting long promised redevelopment, reports Patrick Sawer from Teesside.
Even those sceptical of Labour’s promises couldn’t hide their exasperation with 14 years of Conservative rule.
Rebecca, 47, a dental technician, said: “Just look around you at all the shops that are shut around here and in other towns on Teesside. We’ve had a very small slice of the pie and the Tories levelling up promises were just rubbish.”
Her friend Karen, 67, who ran a farrier’s business with her husband until retiring, said: “The Conservatives are out of touch with real people because they come from privileged backgrounds. Our children work hard for a living but are struggling to make ends meet and pay the mortgage. It’s really hard for them.”
Susan 72, a former NHS auxiliary nurse, said people were fed up of feeling the pinch.
“It’s the cost of living. I’ve just paid £2 for dishwasher tablets which used to be £1 and I can’t keep doing that with everything,” she said.
Her husband Neil, 78, a retired boatman who worked the River Tees, said: “Who’s going to replace Sunak that’s any better? The country is wallowing in poverty, but politicians spend the whole time fighting among themselves.”
But one Sunak policy promise has found favour with many here – that of a return to conscription.
“It would be the making of the young lads hanging around street corners around here,” said Maz, 74. “It would give them a sense of purpose. I know a lot of people around here don’t like the Tories and always vote Labour, but it’d been hard with Covid and the war in Ukraine. No other government has had to deal with that.”