Heather Wheeler referred to Birmingham and Blackpool during the presentation of the government’s new digital strategy on Thursday. “I was just at a conference in Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere optimistic,” said Chris Middleton, a tech reporter at the presentation. He went on to say that a Cabinet official had called him after first quoting Wheeler, saying it was funny that the ice was breaking. Wheeler had spoken at an event in London about the launch of the government’s new digital strategy, the 2022-2025 roadmap for a digital future. Her comments came the same day that Boris Johnson was in the coastal city of Lancashire about tax cuts and allowing people living in social housing to buy their own homes. The government has terrorized the leveling of areas outside London, as one of the cornerstones of the platform’s policy since its 2019 election. However, leaders outside the capital have claimed that some of the promised investments have not been provided, and other funds have only targeted conservative seats. One of the funding boxes affected is for improved bus services in areas of the “red wall” that were turned by Labor into the Conservative Party in 2019 and have poor levels of public transport. In January, however, government documents indicated that funding had been cut in half from 3 3 billion to 1, 1.4 billion. Among Labor MPs who criticized Wheeler’s comments was Deputy Leader Angela Reiner, who wrote on Twitter: “The mask has slipped. This minister has clarified what Boris Johnson Conservatives really think about our communities behind closed doors. Disrespect is out of scale. “Heather Wheeler has shown her utter contempt for the electorate.” Lisa Nadi, the shadow foreign minister for housing, housing and communities and a Wigan MP, took to Twitter: “We are told they are raising the level of the country, but they really believe that. They can not even tell the difference between “Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere crazy”. Wheeler has been a Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire since 2010 and is Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. He had previously apologized for comments about Gypsies and Travelers and was criticized in 2018 when, as homeless minister, he said he did not know why the number of hard sleepers had increased. He apologized Friday night, writing on Twitter: “While speaking at a conference on Thursday, I made an inappropriate remark that did not reflect my true views. I apologize for any inconvenience caused. “ A spokesman for the Cabinet of Ministers referred to the Guardian in its tweet and did not comment.
