Tory minister accused of giving up after jetting off to Greece on vacation
A Tory minister has been accused of giving up after jetting off to Greece instead of campaigning in his marginal constituency.
Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker defiantly told The Mirror that he had continued with his holiday plans despite Rishi Sunak calling a snap election. He said that before he booked his break, he and fellow MPs were assured by the PM that it would be ok to head off to the beach this week.
Labour claims it is a sign of MPs giving up on trying to get re-elected. Mr Baker has a slim majority of just 4,214, and a leaked recording reveals he admitted earlier this month that he might lose his seat.
His Labour opponent, Emma Reynolds, told The Mirror: “I am staggered that Steve Baker has decided to go on holiday in the middle of the General Election campaign. He clearly doesn’t care about his constituents.
“It’s time for change in Wycombe. During this campaign I will be fighting day in, day out for every vote to deliver a better future for Wycombe.”
Speaking to The Mirror from Vasiliki, where temperatures hit 28C yesterday, Mr Baker admitted that some might have a problem with him jetting away. But he insisted he was working on his campaign and denied defying the PM.
The minister defended his decision not to cancel his holiday plans, stating: “The Prime Minister told everyone we could go on holiday and then called a snap election. So I’ve chosen to do my campaign work in Greece.”
Asked whether voters would be angered by his decision to jet away, he said: “My experience has been that when I talk to people who are quite keen to vote for me, they say: ‘Good on you’. I’ve been campaigning for months and my wife deserves to have her husband go away for a much needed break. It’s the only holiday we’ve got planned for the summer.”
He denied it was a sign of disgruntlement or that he’d thrown in the towel. Mr Baker stated: “It’s simply a sign when he (Mr Sunak) said to everybody when he was asked ‘you can go on holiday’, we booked a holiday.” He admitted that “one or two” people have a problem with him going away and said it is “unconventional”.
It is unclear whether other Tories have gone away after being given the PM’s blessing before the election announcement. Parliament had been set to be in recess this week, and most didn’t expect the country to go to the polls until the autumn.
Mr Baker said he didn’t know whether others had carried on with holiday plans, despite the PM desperately touring the country touting for votes. He said: “I suspect if they have, they haven’t had the courage to say so. But I would rather be honest with the public.”
A Labour source said the break showed Mr Baker had “given up on his seat”. The source said: “Tory Ministers are giving up after 14 years of chaos and are abandoning the ship in droves. It’s time for change, with a changed Labour Party who will fight tirelessly for every vote.”
It comes after The Mirror was passed a recording of Mr Baker speaking to activists earlier this month. He was met with laughter as he told an audience at the right-wing Adam Smith Institute: “I’m 53, if I lose my seat next time around I’ll be 58 next time and let me tell you I’ll be on a beach.”
And last week he told LBC radio that he would spend his time “skydiving, motorcycle riding, [and] fast catamaran sailing” if he loses his seat.
