Nurses on cloud cuckoo land<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “The Government needs to face down the unions in much the same way that Margaret Thatcher eventually did and simply say I\u2019m sorry, we understand what inflation does, but the most important aim has to be to get inflation down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We can\u2019t do that if we are putting pay rises near the level of inflation. There has to be a gap. I would even say that to the nurses. I understand entirely, but 19% is cloud cuckoo land as it has to be paid for.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Stand up to Mick Lynch\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “The Govt has to to stand firm against Mick Lynch. In the 70\u2019s – which I still remember with shuddering horror – we had strike after strike after strike. There was even a point where the doctors were taking industrial action, then if you died, you couldn\u2019t get buried because the grave diggers were out on strike. London was full of overflowing rubbish and goodness knows what else. I just remember it with shuddering horror.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The causes are very similar, because the major cause is inflation. We have been spoiled now for a couple of decades, we\u2019ve somehow grown to regard it as an entitlement, when there\u2019s inflation, people\u2019s pay packets are worth less, so they want to catch up with inflation, so if you do that, it just puts the prices up and you get into the wage cost spiral.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 70\u2019s were worse because it was allowed to go on and that\u2019s why this government has to stop this going on and face down strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the end, whole generations don\u2019t remember the 70s, even children alive in the 70\u2019s don\u2019t have active adult memories of what it entailed, so people think we are in an entirely new situation. We aren\u2019t. One of the big arts of politics is to learn the lessons of the past.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Tighten up anti-strike laws<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “I think anti strike laws have a very big role to play. They did in the Thatcher years, but in the 70s there was no notice of strikes. We all know now when the trains aren\u2019t going to be running, get it in the diary. We make other arrangements as we have notice. In the 70s they could strike at the drop of a hat. They had a lot of unofficial strikes or wildcad strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n

The laws that Thatcher introduced helped tremendously, now probably we do need to tighten up. I would much rather the government tried to resolve this by appealing to the common sense of the public. Unions won\u2019t go on strike if they don\u2019t think they have the support of the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mick Lynch is gradually losing support, but he started with a lot.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Boris Johnson deserves his \u00a31m for speeches – people are just jealous<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “It\u2019s nonsense to say MPs shouldn\u2019t have second earnings. If they\u2019re capable, good on them. We want capable people in politics. You\u2019re not neglecting constituents by public speaking. If you\u2019re speaking for three hours, say, that\u2019s all it takes and you\u2019re not depriving constituents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I refused to do Strictly while I was an MP, but I did some of the little ones. One of them involved one Sunday a month for six months. With Boris, it\u2019s his reputation combined with the sum of money that has drawn criticism. There is a huge envy out there. He\u2019s always divided people with his huge personality.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He should also consider Strictly – but not as an MP\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “Boris Johnson would be absolutely grand for Strictly, but he\u2019s still an MP. So I don\u2019t think he should as an MP. Believe me, Strictly is a 7-day-a-week business. It\u2019s absolutely full-on and then Monday morning you\u2019re there again. If you\u2019re successful you could be doing that for 10 weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think we could see him doing something else, he loved doing Have I Got News For You.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Matt Hancock failed constituents on I\u2019m a Celeb – and he shouldn\u2019t go anywhere near a boxing ring<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “It was wrong for Matt Hancock to make money from I\u2019m a Celeb. To take weeks away from Parliament, when it was in recess, and also there will always be a case from a constituent that needs an MPs attention. That is a failure to constituents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If he were to step in the ring, I think he\u2019d look an absolute fool and he\u2019d end up with a broken nose and two black eyes. I really don\u2019t think he should do that. I don\u2019t see him as a boxer. Boxing is a skill, it\u2019s serious. The only person I think he should box with would be a teenager just to learn. He\u2019s chosen the wrong direction and I don\u2019t think he should have gone in the jungle.”<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d pay to not listen to a Theresa May speech<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “Theresa May is not the most inspiring person on Earth. When she talks people go to sleep. Although smaller than Boris, she\u2019s still making a fortune on the speaking circuit and no one has complained about that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet she was the biggest failure going. But they complain about Boris because whatever Boris does, it divides people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t understand why people would pay to hear Theresa May speak. I\u2019d pay money not to hear her speak. I wouldn\u2019t pay a fiver to go to an event with Theresa May.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Rishi Sunak doesn\u2019t have an \u2018inner-Thatcher\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “I\u2019m not convinced Rishi Sunak has an inner Thatcher. I think Rishi is a perfectly competent manager, but I don\u2019t see any vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is his vision for the future of britain? Liz Truss had a vision. The vision was sound, what was absolutely hopeless was the implementation. They tried to do everything at once, they did it without consultation, didn\u2019t try and take people with her but the actual vision of a low tax, highly competitive economy, making the most of Brexit and our opportunities to compete with rather than be subjectived by the EU was right.I don\u2019t know what Rishi\u2019s vision is. When you say summon his inner Thatcher, I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s there.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Rishi\u2019s cabinet is ungovernable<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “Sunak is a perfectly reasonable manager and so long as that is all that you require, that is absolutely fine, but it\u2019s not a long term solution to anything. You need a vision and a programme and some idea of where the train is going. With Thatcher, you always knew where the train was going. You might have wanted to jump off occasionally, but you always knew where it was going, because she had a philosophy, she had a vision, she had a determination to make everything happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rishi has the majority to try and do that but he has a completely ungovernable parliamentary party. They are completely ungovernable. That is his biggest drawback, he\u2019ll always be afraid to do things which are original because he has such a hopeless mutinous party.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know because it\u2019s a medium to long term business which revolves around the selection of candidates, “<\/span><\/p>\n

Labour shouldn\u2019t be so confident<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “No, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s inevitable that Keir Starmer is the next Prime Minister. I\u2019m not saying that because I would prefer that he didn\u2019t become Prime Minister. There are two years until the next election. Two years is an age in politics. Two years ago, everyone thought the Tories were invincible, now Labour are invincible. There\u2019s no reason why in two years time, it won\u2019t be the Tories again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of time as inflation starts to subside, if they stand firm over the strikes and things do get a bit better, people become less willing to take a leap in the dark to the other side.<\/span><\/p>\n

If I was going to bet on the next election – and I haven\u2019t ever bet on an election in my life – but if I was going to, at a time when the odds are very strongly against the Tories, it\u2019s a pretty good time to put on a modest wager.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As you get closer to an election, people want to know what you are going to do. People want to know what Labour is going to do, not what it says, not what the Tories are getting wrong.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As you get nearer to an election you have to start putting your policies on the line and then people start to think if that\u2019s what we really want, and now it doesn\u2019t look impossible that we move to a hung parliament.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Ukraine and inflation are 2023\u2019s biggest headaches<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “There are two things affecting everyone in the west at the moment, not just the Tories. In Britain we tend to look at ourselves and say it\u2019s only happening here. But inflation is happening everywhere. The big impacts have been the vast expenditure and dished out during Covid. We all knew at the time we\u2019d have to pay for it, but suddenly we seem very surprised. But we are going to have to pay for it because we spent billions under Sunak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The other issue is the inevitable fallout from the war in Ukraine. So the big question is, is there going to be a resolution there? But there won\u2019t be because he\u2019s dug too far in now. That will have an impact, there will be ongoing shortages. I see no easy way out of those two things. I think the Ukraine war could rumble on far longer than people are expecting.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Putin not easy to assassinate<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ann Widdecombe said, “I don\u2019t think Putin would be easy to assassinate so long as you have people who are loyal to you, and remain loyal to you. As amazing as it seems to the west, he still has people who are too loyal to him. So I don\u2019t see an assisination.<\/span><\/p>\n

If he got to the point where he can\u2019t carry on, that might just produce a change. The west needs to toughen up on sanctions but that\u2019s the only weapon it\u2019s got. And we can step up our efforts to supply Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boris was superb on Ukraine, despite whatever else he may have got wrong, along with the vaccinations.”<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ann Widdecombe sat down in an exclusive interview with FairBettingSites. Speaking on a wide range of hot topics, the former member of parliament for Maidstone made some eye opening statements about the current nurses strike. Ms Widdecombe also commented on Matt Hancock’s recent trip into the jungle, saying he “failed his constituents”. Highlights from the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":4160,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n