Tory peer Lord Moylan sparks outrage by branding Yorkshire a ‘county of leftist whingers begging for handouts’ in bizarre tweet ahead of planned trip
- Moylan, a former banker and adviser to Boris Johnson, caused the outrage Friday
- He said feared he would find ‘leftist whingers begging for handouts’ in Yorkshire
- The Lord had planned to take a short break in the northern county
- It comes after a Yorkshire Post headline ripped into the Tories’ ‘Levelling Up’ plan
- The tweet was met with a harsh backlash, including from the Editor of the Yorkshire Post and the Labour Mayor for West Yorkshire
Lord Moylan, a former merchant banker who went on to become Boris Johnson’s chief adviser on airports and Crossrail 2 during his stint as the Mayor of London, sent the fiery tweet late Friday night ahead of a planned break in the county.
It came after the newspaper’s planned front page for Saturday was published online, carrying a headline which criticised the Conservative government’s ‘levelling up’ plan as a failure.
The Baron took umbrage with the Yorkshire Post’s suggestion and bit back sharply.
‘I’m going to Yorkshire for a short break next week. Everything I’ve read recently in @yorkshirepost makes me fear I’m going to find it transformed into a county of leftist whingers begging for handouts,’ the Baron tweeted.
‘Let’s hope that’s not the case.’
The brutal tweet alienated many users, who swiftly condemned the Baron’s harsh words and strongly encouraged him to take his weekend break elsewhere.
Lord Moylan, a former merchant banker who went on to become Boris Johnson’s chief adviser on airports and Crossrail 2 during his stint as the Mayor of London, sent the fiery tweet at the Yorkshire Post after the newspaper criticised the government’s ‘levelling up’ plan as a failure
The Baron, who was set to enjoy a short break in the northern county, took umbrage with the Yorkshire Post’s suggestion the government’s ‘Levelling Up’ plan is a failure and bit back sharply
Editor of the Yorkshire Post James Mitchinson was one of the first to respond, taking aim at Moylan’s Conservative cronies before referring to him sarcastically as ‘m’Lord’.
‘You’ll find folks thoroughly fed up with sneering politicians who think they’re better than us and an awful lot of people who cannot stand liars and charlatans,’ Mitchinson wrote.
‘It isn’t about right and left for us, m’Lord. It’s about right and wrong. Enjoy your stay. You are most welcome.’
Hours earlier, the front page for the Saturday edition of the Yorkshire Post was published online, carrying the headline: ‘Levelling-up plan fails to aid rural economy’.
It comes after the Conservative government’s ‘Levelling Up’ whitepaper, revealed earlier this month by Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove, received widespread criticism for its apparent lack of funding and provision of support for the North.
Labour Mayor for West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin also piled in on Moylan: ‘Yorkshire is a great place for a holiday and I’ve no doubt Lord Moylan will enjoy his stay.
‘But we’re a straight talking bunch with forthright views. I’ve no doubt people will be quite willing to share their opinions on his government’s failings with him during his visit.’
‘I’m going to Yorkshire for a short break next week. Everything I’ve read recently in @yorkshirepost makes me fear I’m going to find it transformed into a county of leftist whingers begging for handouts,’ the Baron tweeted. ‘Let’s hope that’s not the case.’
Moylan’s Twitter tirade comes after the Conservative government’s ‘Levelling Up’ whitepaper, revealed earlier this month by Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove, received widespread criticism for its apparent lack of funding and provision of support for the North (Yorkshire Dales pictured)
Other users also trashed Moylan, with one saying they had ‘never been prouder of my home county as I am now knowing it makes you feel unwelcome’, while another jibed, ‘maybe you should view your heavily subsidised meals and heavily subsidised bar in the House of Lords as “handouts”? Beg much for those do you?’
Moylan did not rise to the backlash, later appeasing some of his detractors by saying he was having a ‘lovely time’ in the county.
‘I’m having a lovely time in Yorkshire and, as I expected and have always found, the people are much nicer and more sensible than @yorkshirepost makes them seem,’ Moylan tweeted earlier today.
The Tory peer’s tweet hitting out at the Yorkshire Post and the northern county comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson conducts a tour of the UK to push his ‘Levelling Up’ agenda and shift some of the focus from the ongoing ‘Partygate’ scandal.
Johnson will travel to Scotland this week as part of the tour, but will not meet the Scottish Tory leader who demanded he quit over No10 parties.
The Prime Minister is expected to visit a manufacturing site in Scotland during the Parliamentary recess during a UK tour he hopes will switch focus on his levelling-up agenda
Johnson will visit sites in Scotland this week as part of the tour, but will not meet the Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross (pictured) who demanded he quit over No10 parties
Scottish Conservatives have confirmed to MailOnline that Johnson will not be spending time with Douglas Ross, who last month publicly called for his resignation after arguing his position was ‘untenable’ following the revelations of Partygate.
In a statement ahead of his trip to Scotland, Johnson said: ‘I’m getting out of London this week and taking a simple message with me, this Government is getting on with the job of uniting and levelling up the country.’
But Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar responded: ‘Boris Johnson is not fit to be Prime Minister and he is single the biggest threat to the future of the UK.
‘If the Scottish Tories welcome him back with open arms, it will confirm once and for all that they are a party devoid of any principles.’
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