Dear Sir

The man who brought us the poll tax, interest rates at 15% and the doubling of crime is back in charge of the Tories.

The thousands of people in North Tyneside whose mortgages were at 15% under the Tories and who suffered negative equity in their homes will be dreading the return of Michael Howard as Tory leader.

The patients and parents who were forced to stand by and watch as schools and hospitals and the numbers of local police in North Tyneside were cut will not forget his record.

Nor will the pensioners who had VAT on their winter fuel imposed on them.

He is the man who increased unemployment by more than a million, said the poll tax was ‘fair’ and called the minimum wage absurd.

But Michael Howard has not changed. He has not said sorry and now the same diet of cuts, charges and privatisation are on the Howard menu. This time he wants to charge people thousands of pounds for operations, £9,000 for a heart bypass, £5,000 for a hip replacement and £3,000 for a hysterectomy.

Most people I know in North Tyneside could not afford these prices for essential healthcare. On top of this, spending on local schools, hospitals and the police will again be cut under his plans.

Worst of all Michael Howard plans to penalise our poorest pensioners. Carers, the disabled and low earners in North Tyneside stand to lose £43 a week in their retirement.

Mr Poll Tax is back and he is more extreme than ever.

Yours sincerely

Ian Grayson
Labour Councillor,
Collingwood Ward