I was very sceptical when I heard that the UK Government recently announced 75 ‘Left Behind Neighbourhoods’ which would be sharing a total of £1.5 billion to invest in their own local infrastructure.

[https://www.gov.uk/…/15-billion-to-restore-pride-in…]

Here are those areas / towns; Scotland: Arbroath Elgin Kirkwall (Orkney Islands) Peterhead Dumfries Irvine Kilmarnock Clydebank Coatbridge Greenock Wales: Barry Wrexham Rhyl Cwmbrân Merthyr Tydfil Northern Ireland: Derry~Londonderry Coleraine North East: Blyth Darlington Eston Hartlepool Jarrow Spennymoor Washington North West: Accrington Ashton-Under-Lyne Burnley Chadderton Darwen Farnworth Heywood Kirkby Leigh Nelson Newton-le-Willows Rawtenstall Runcorn Yorkshire and the Humber: Barnsley Castleford Dewsbury Doncaster Keighley Rotherham Scarborough Scunthorpe Grimsby East Midlands: Boston Carlton Chesterfield Clifton (Notts) Kirkby-in-Ashfield Mansfield Newark-on-Trent Spalding Worksop Skegness West Midlands: Bedworth Bilston Darlaston Dudley Royal Sutton Coldfield Smethwick East of England: Canvey Island Clacton-on-Sea Great Yarmouth King’s Lynn Thetford Wisbech Harlow South East: Bexhill-on-Sea Eastbourne Hastings Ramsgate Ryde South West: Torquay

I was naturally very wary about this, and I’ve spotted tonight that when combined together, the above towns / areas scored an average of 5007 – equating to a colour of deep red in the recent popular petition that called for a general election in the UK. The one that attracted 3 million supporters. This was debated in Parliament, but refused, obviously.

Anyway, included in the above list of neighbourhoods are ALL FIVE Reform UK constituencies. These were all coloured deep red within the petition.

It looks like Starmer is cynically acting in his own party’s interests and lavishing £1.5 billion of our public money on areas where there could be a potential revolt and a lurch away from supporting Labour.