There is a tradition in north Shropshire which the people here have long upheld.
And that is electing a Conservative as their MP. This is one of the safest Tory seats in Britain but that might be set to change.
At Pentreclawdd Farm in Oswestry, sales of Christmas trees are steady but no one here wants to be dragged back into tougher COVID restrictions.
See live updates on COVID in the UK.
And so the decisions by politicians over the past weeks and months are important to people here.
“The new variant could have a big effect on business,” says farm manager Meurig Rhys Jones.
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“We could see a reduction in people venturing out especially the vulnerable and the elderly. So government decisions really matter.”
Mr Rhys Jones tells me he is a life-long Conservative voter. But have accusations of sleaze at Westminster made him re-think his political loyalties?
He said: “It’s difficult for the government. I think it would be difficult for whoever is in power. Boris Johnson has had a difficult time.”
There’s a by-election in North Shropshire tomorrow to elect a new MP after Owen Patterson resigned following the government’s failed attempt to block his suspension for breaking parliamentary rules.
“I’m still going to vote Conservative, for now,” he says.
Louis Patterson, 19, says recent events have changed how he might vote
But younger voters might need more convincing.
Louis Patterson is studying politics at North Shropshire College and says he and his family have always voted Conservative. Now the 19-year-old says recent events have changed his mind.
He said: “I think especially over the past few weeks with what’s happened while it’s been in the news and some of the leaked…
Source : skynews
