Fourteen months later, he would be in Hartlepool again – this time for a farewell visit. It was “great” to have him back, city MP Jill Mortimer said in a Facebook video. “We know how much he likes it here.” For many in the city, the feeling was mutual. After voting Labor for life, thousands of residents were tempted to switch to Johnson’s Tories. Now he’s gone, Liz Truss, who looks set to be announced as his successor this week, faces the task of keeping it that way. Janet Holmes, mother-of-six and retired NHS secretary, is among the voters she will hope to cling to. The 73-year-old, who lives by the sea in Seaton Carew, two miles from the city centre, doesn’t much like politics and avoids watching the news. Even so, Johnson managed, capturing something in her imagination that made her feel optimistic about Britain’s future. In the 2021 by-election, after voting Labor all her life, Holmes switched her vote to the Conservatives. “I ran like this because we’re Brexiteers and we didn’t want anything to stop that happening,” he says. Now that Johnson is gone, she remembers him fondly. “I feel really sorry for Boris,” she says. “I just think he’s had a really tough time with Brexit and Covid. It wasn’t his fault. OK, he may have made a mistake or two – but we all do, don’t we? And I just don’t think they were fair to him. If it was anyone else they would have the same problems.” Truss has yet to impress her, and neither has her rival in the Conservative leadership race, Rishi Sunak. “I know there’s a man and a woman, but not much more,” says Holmes. However, based on her love for Johnson, she believes he will remain with the Conservatives for years to come. “I just want them to focus on the cost of living and get on with Brexit,” he says. Among other Hartlepool voters, Truss is yet to make a splash. “Not to sound ignorant, but I couldn’t even tell you what it looks like,” says Angela Defty, 58, who works in a pastry shop. Liz Truss? “I couldn’t even tell you what it looks like,” says Angela Defty, 58, who works in a pastry shop. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Painter and decorator Stephen Horner, 73, says he voted Tory at the last election because he was fed up with Labour. “Boris was a protest vote,” he says. “He was a bit of a clown at times. He has done things and now he will live to regret it. I’m not going to be on the edge of my seat waiting for him to come back.” Truss has “never said anything” that sticks in his mind. But “it doesn’t matter who gets in anyway because they’re going to do their thing,” he says. Meanwhile, the electricity bill has skyrocketed. “I can’t see things getting any better.” For David Moore, 61, the Prime Minister’s priority must be the NHS. “It’s terrible,” he says. “People were waiting for ambulances for hours and hours.” He adds that Hartlepool “is a ghost town. It’s the electricity they can’t afford. electricity and natural gas. There is no future here for my grandchildren.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A port in the Tees Valley known for its historic links with industry, Hartlepool is one of the most run-down areas in the country. It has a picturesque marina and is surrounded by beaches as ideal as those in Cornwall. But the high street is struggling, with many businesses moving in. Child poverty in the city – at about 37.8% in 2020 – is rising rapidly, one of the fastest rates in the country. Natalie Frankland, 34, co-founder of the Hartlepool Uniform Recycling Scheme, says the demand has been “huge”. “So far within five weeks we have helped more than 300 families by providing them with uniforms,” he says. Among those using the service are parents struggling to afford basic living expenses. One mother of four, Frankland says, “broke down in tears” after realizing the uniforms through the program would be free. “She was so relieved she didn’t know how she was going to afford it.” Mother-of-one April Twidale, 35, from West View, says Truss’ focus should be on the “financial situation”. Truss has yet to detail any plans to tackle the cost of living crisis. “For benefits and people working, the money isn’t going up, but everything else is going up,” says Twidale. Anthony Errington, 59, who has lived in Hartlepool all his life, agrees the cost of living crisis must be a priority. Last week, she started using a food bank for the first time. He had always been a Labor voter but lost faith in the party after the local hospital closed. “With what the Conservatives were promising I thought, ‘I’ll give them a try,’” he says. Johnson, he says, will be remembered for three things: “helping people, the Ukraine war and saying pork pies.” He doesn’t know much about Truss and doesn’t really care. “It doesn’t make much difference who they are,” he says. “As long as they start to realize that they have to treat people fairly and stand up and tell the truth, it doesn’t bother me. The most important thing is honesty.”
