Northern Ireland Secretary Steve Baker, who is defending a majority of 4,214, told The Mirror that Rishi Sunak told MPs they could book holidays before calling a snap election
A Tory minister has been accused of giving up after flying to Greece instead of campaigning in his marginal constituency.
Northern Ireland Secretary Steve Baker defiantly told The Mirror he was going ahead with his holiday plans despite Rishi Sunak calling a snap election. He said that before booking his holiday, he and his fellow MPs were assured by the Prime Minister that it would be OK to go to the beach this week.
Labor claims this is a sign that MPs are giving up their attempts to get re-elected. Mr Baker has a slim majority of just 4,214, and a leaked recording shows him conceding earlier this month that he might lose his seat.
His Labor opponent, Emma Reynolds, told the Mirror: “I am stunned that Steve Baker has decided to go on holiday in the middle of the election campaign. He clearly doesn’t care about his voters.
“It’s time for change in Wycombe. During this campaign I will fight day in and day out for every vote to deliver a better future for Wycombe.”
Speaking to The Mirror from Vasiliki, where temperatures reached 28 degrees Celsius yesterday, Mr Baker admitted some might have a problem with him flying away. But he insisted he was working on his campaign and denied challenging the prime minister.
Defending his decision not to cancel his holiday plans, the minister said: “The Prime Minister told everyone we could go on holiday and then called early elections. That’s why I chose to do my campaign work in Greece.”
Asked whether voters would be angry about his decision to bolt, he said: “My experience is that when I talk to people who really want to vote for me, they say, ‘Well done’. I campaigned. for months and my wife deserves her husband to go away for a much needed break. It’s the only vacation we have planned for the summer.
He denied it was a sign of dissatisfaction or that he had thrown in the towel. Mr Baker said: “It was just a sign when he (Mr Sunak) said to everyone when asked ‘you can go on holiday’, we have a holiday booked.” He admitted that “one or two” people have a problem with him leaving and said it is “unconventional.”
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It is unclear whether other Tories left after receiving the Prime Minister’s blessing before the election announcement. Parliament was due to be in recess this week, and most did not expect the country to go to the polls until the fall.
Mr Baker said he did not know if others were going ahead with holiday plans, despite the Prime Minister desperately touring the country to win votes. He said: “I suspect if they did, they wouldn’t have had the courage to say so. But I would rather be honest with the public.”
A Labor source said the split showed Baker had “given up his seat”. The source said: “Tory ministers are giving up after 14 years of chaos and abandoning ship en masse. It is time for change, with a changed Labor Party that will fight tirelessly for every vote.”
It comes after The Mirror obtained a recording of Mr Baker speaking to activists earlier this month. He was met with laughter when he told an audience at the right-wing Adam Smith Institute: “I’m 53, if next time I lose my seat, next time I’ll be 58 and let me tell you I will be there. a beach.”
And last week he told LBC radio that he would spend his time “skydiving, riding motorcycles, [and] fast catamaran sailing” when he loses his seat.
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