Constituents rally round in support of Hague
0 Comments | Northern Echo, Sep 4, 2010 | by Vicki Henderson
SUPPORT for Foreign Secretary William Hague remained strong in the heart of his Richmond constituency last night with many residents accusing the media of intruding unnecessarily into his private life.
Shoppers in the market towns of Richmond and Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, voiced their support for Mr Hague, describing him as a good MP, who has done a lot for the area.
Mr Hague made a brief visit to his constituency office in Northallerton yesterday as the media furore surrounding his friendship with his former aide, Christopher Myers, showed no signs of abating.
Many residents criticised the way the media has treated Mr Hague in the past few days, in particular because he and his wife, Ffion, felt they had to release a statement about their struggle to start a family.
Lisa Simpson, 32, from Northallerton, said: “I feel so sorry for his wife – what did she do to deserve this? As for Hague, I don’t really care one way or another, but if they want to start a family then that’s their business, not ours.”
John Thomas, 59, from Richmond, agreed and said: “His wife isn’t a politician – she didn’t ask to be in the newspapers.”
Mr Hague was first elected to the Richmond seat in 1989 in a by- election and has steadily increased his majority ever since.
In the May election he won with a majority of 23,336, and received more than 60 per cent of the vote.
Despite his high profile roles as Foreign Secretary and the PM’s right-hand man, Mr Hague often visits the area to meet his constituents.
One Northallerton woman, who asked not to be named, said: “William Hague can do no wrong in my eyes. When my family had a bit of bother a few years ago, he did everything he could to help us and sorted it out in the end.”
Others agreed that so long as Mr Hague does a good job as MP, they do notmind what happens in his private life.
Lulu Fidler, from Richmond, said: “As long as he does his job properly then I don’t care. I actually think it’s an infringement on his rights as a human being.
“Why should he have to defend himself? What he does in his private life is separate to what he does in his working life.”
Meanwhile, the wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow has criticised Mr Hague for detailing his wife’s miscarriages in his denial statement.
Sally Bercow said the Foreign Secretary had been given “duff” PR advice, and had elevated an internet rumour into an item in the national press by issuing such a lengthy account of his personal life.