Sacha Lord has publicly shamed Rishi Sunak by plastering enormous digital adverts all over Manchester, right as the Conservative Party Conference takes place.
Lord has even paid to take over the largest screen in the city centre, which happens to be directly above where the Tory Conference is being held.
Roving digital advertising trucks are also circling the area as a stark reminder to the PM of his actions during his time as Chancellor in the pandemic.
Sacha Lord, Parklife and WHP boss as well as Greater Manchester’s Nighttime Economy Adviser, has said that the adverts are for ‘3.8 million lives that were ignored’ when Covid halted the events industry.
He has once again called out Sunak for providing no financial support to all the freelancers whose work vanished practically overnight.
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The adverts themselves show a grinning Sunak, his eyes edited red, with the words ‘I ignored 3.8 million self-employed because they didn’t vote Tory’.
Sacha has then released a video where he reminded people of an interview where Sunak said those who were left without financial support ‘probably were not Conservatives in the first place’.
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He again outlined the heartbreaking reality that so many people in hospitality and events faced in 2020 and 2021 when the industry collapsed.
He said in his video: “I’ve taken out the largest digital screen in the city centre, which is directly above the Tory conference, for the entire duration of the conference.
During the pandemic, we witness the complete and utter decimation of the events industry. Freelancers left with no financial support whatsoever. I witnessed families break up, marriages dissolve, houses repossessed. I also know two people who took their own lives. They simply could not live riddled with so much debt.
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“There were in total 3.8 million self-employed people who were left to fend for themselves. And at the time none of us could work out ‘why is the Chancellor doing this?’
“And we now know the reason why he left 3.8 million people out to dry. The reason being, he didn’t believe they would vote Conservative. He put politics before lives. So if you were one of those people who were excluded and had your life ruined, this is for you.
“This must never, ever happen again. It’s a disgrace, and we should never forget the injustice that these people suffered.”
Sacha Lord then wrote: “This is for the 3.8 million lives that were ignored. The freelancers and the self employed.
“The Conference are trying every trick to have this taken down…so I’ve just deployed large digital vans as well, to keep circling the area.
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“Wave if you see one…”
It’s the most perfectly passive-aggressive move of all time, this.
One person replied to Sacha: “THANK YOU! This directly affected my partner and I know the stress and strain it put on him and many people in his industry. Too many people just want to ignore that this happened. The light you continue to shine on this is absolutely phenomenonal. Again, THANK YOU.”
Another said: “Excellent work yet again. Keep it up, @Sacha_Lord! While a few got very rich during that horrible year of Covid, freelancers, self-employed and hospitality were largely hung out to dry by the govt, who now absolutely must bring VAT down to 10% for hospitality, @CampaignforPubs.”
Someone else shared: “I was one of the Excluded. Too long out of employment and not long enough self-employed. I fell between the cracks of the financial support and had to fend for myself.”
You can now own a two-bed barge in a Greater Manchester marina
Thomas Melia
A new property has gone up for sale in Greater Manchester but you’ll have to act fast otherwise it’ll sail right past you – literally.
Ever fancied living on a yacht in Sicily or a cruise ship in the Caribbean? Well, now you can live your nautical dreams right here in the heart of Greater Manchester.
I hope blue is your favourite colour because this barge is decked out floor to ceiling in this deep maritime tone, even the kitchen cupboards are blue, pastel to be specific.
The main living area and kitchen are open plan with walls that span three-quarters of the property‘s width creating a corridor between the two bedrooms and bathroom.
The living room interior with a gorgeous fluffy rug.The view of the living area with the dual fuel log burner.Credit: On The Market
In terms of the cooking space, the kitchen is fully fitted with all the appliances you could ever need, perfect for a lazy Sunday when all you’re after is a full English and a nice comforting view.
As you can see, there’s also a cute skylight window above the kitchen which brings in more natural light and broadens perspectives within this area, although it’s quite roomy anyway.
Both bedrooms are quite sizeable meaning you don’t have to downsize or reduce your wardrobe and your other half can stop insisting you do (just us? Never mind).
Now, sit back, relax and just imagine drinking a prosecco while perched under the British sun on your new barge balcony.
If this barge wasn’t snug enough how about a log burner to go with it, and not just any log burner, a dual fuel log burner, that’ll keep you toasty.
Situated on Pennington Marina in Leigh, there’s a small collection of amenities nearby including a chippy and restaurant just a seven-minute walk away, I know where I’m off for tea.
That stunning kitchen with matching all blue decorum.The cozy main bedroom pefectly covered in rugs and blankets.Credit: On The Market
And if you’re ever in the mood for a walk, just hop off your cruiser and let your feet lead the way along the canal to the interesting and quirky Lock Gates Monument, only eight minutes away.
Overall, this houseboat is 70ft she’s definitely not small, this really is like a home away from home, the only difference is this one’s on water.
Interested in ditching land in favour of water or just feel like having a nosey, you can find the two-bedroom houseboat listing with all its pictures and floor plan HERE.
Trams through city centre disrupted as Storm Eowyn hits Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The high winds brought by Storm Eowyn to the UK today have led to travel disruption in Manchester, with busy city centre trams out of action.
No Metrolink services are running through Deansgate-Castlefield, Cornbrook or St Peter’s Square at the time of writing, due to damage to an overhead line at Deansgate.
Many services are stopping outside the city centre, with the service changes expected to last into the evening.
The disruption comes as much of the UK is battered by extremely strong winds from Storm Eowyn, which has led to a rare red weather warning in Scotland.
Parts of Greater Manchester have also been placed under an amber weather alert for wind today, with the Met Office issuing do not travel warnings.
The Bee Network has today confirmed that overhead wires at Deansgate-Castlefield have been damaged in the storm, with engineers ‘working hard’ to fix the damage.
Ticket acceptance is in place on several bus routes.
Damage to overhead lines at Deansgate-Castlefield by Storm Eowyn. Credit: TfGM
But service disruptions are expected to continue into the evening.
Ian Davies, TfGM’s Interim Director for Metrolink, said: “We are doing everything we can to resolve this situation at Deansgate Castlefield but the conditions are making this very difficult and there is likely to be disruption for the rest of the day.
“I would encourage those travelling by tram today to check the information on our website, app and social media channels before setting off.”
Below are the routes trams are taking this evening – you can see the latest updates HERE.