Alliance South Belfast Representative Allan Leonard has slammed the
Conservatives in the House of Lords for lacking the courage to stand up
to the Government and defer tap tax. His comments follow the vote which
saw only 13 Tory peers vote for David Trimble’s amendment and the rest
abstaining.
Allan Leonard stated: “The Conservatives in the House of Lords have
let the people of Northern Ireland down yet again. They let us down a
month ago in the rates vote and they have done the same again over
water charges.
“Twice the Tories have capitulated to the government to the
detriment of local people. Their actions punish every householder in
Northern Ireland.
“It is regrettable that local Tories don’t have any influence over
their colleagues in the House of Lords. I cannot comprehend why they
were sucked in by Lord Rooker’s plans last night.
“The lack of backbone shown by many of their peers illustrates the distain they have for Northern Ireland and local voters.
“The Conservatives have dealt a double bodyblow to the people of
Northern Ireland in the past month and these actions will not go
unnoticed by local people.
“The Tories can try to pretend that they are modernizing, but this vote shows how out of touch they really are with key issues.”
ENDS
