In politics it’s a tried and tested tactic to try and deflect attention elsewhere.

While accusing his own party of bullying him, Grant Shapps has also taken a swipe at Labour run Hatfield Town Council.

It’s only a few years since the Welwyn Hatfield MP, who doesn’t live in the parish of Hatfield, attempted to abolish the Council.

This would have passed the town’s assets to the Borough Council, a Council struggling to manage the cuts imposed by the Conservative led Government.

Last week however, the under-fire MP hit out at the Council on twitter and the letters page of the local paper -as they prepare a town wide consultation to make good on an election promise to bring football back to Hatfield.

This is a long held ambition that has been talked about for decades but never materialised. Grant Shapps himself failed to progress it other than using it as another photo opportunity on his way into Parliament.

Hatfield Town Council Leader Lenny Brandon said:

“How dare this political embarrassment to Hatfield say he is concerned at how we are doing, when he and his cronies lurch from one shambles to the next without any sense of self-awareness or shame.

 

We have made massive savings from the previous Conservative administration, while delivering much more for the people of Hatfield, so how dare he talk about how Labour are spending ‘our money’ when as an outsider, Grant doesn’t pay a penny in tax to this Council.

 

He couldn’t get enough names together to abolish the Town Council. He couldn’t get enough names to oust the Prime Minister. His repeated failures and plummeting reputation have clearly fuelled his ongoing bitterness.

 

Hatfield Town Council has never been in such a strong position – delivering several annual community events at no extra cost to the taxpayer, and I am proud of the considerable hard work that Councillors and staff alike have put in to making this possible.

 

Grant Shapps has never shown the slightest interest in the workings of this Council other than working out what he can take from the people of Hatfield. It’s a bit rich to see him try to pretend otherwise now just to steer attention away from himself.”