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THE strange case of Tory MP Jake Berry will only further stoke public suspicion of many politicians as being little more than shameless opportunists.

There were reports yesterday that Mr Berry, the MP for Darwen and Rossendale in Lancashire was at his holiday home at Rhoscolyn, Ynys Mon. Thus breaking Welsh law against ‘non-essential travel’ in Wales at this point in time.

But his fellow MP, Virginia Crosbie, the newly elected Tory MP for the island has leapt to his defence, saying it is actually his main home, and that he’s been there and there alone since February.

She’s further claimed that Mr Berry is at home with their 3 children whilst his wife (who JUST happens to work as a secretary to Boris Johnson) is ill at Ysbyty Gwynedd.

That sounds very noble on Mr Berry’s part, until you start to consider some further aspects of the whole story.

Do the constituents of Darwen and Rossendale know that their MP is now claiming that his main home is in another country, nearly 150 miles away from them.

They will surely be asking why he has abandoned them so quickly having just been elected as their MP back in December, with a home address within that constituency?

Was just two months in a new term as MP for Darwen and Rossendale that unbearable for poor Mr. Berry?

But quite apart from the issue of showing a huge disrespect for his own constituents, there’s also some murkier evidence now coming to light about Mr Berry.

In the Parliamentary Record of Interests(end of 2019), it is stated that Mr Berry has shares in no fewer than 4 houses on Ynys Mon(either worth more than £100,000 p.a or £10,000 rental income p.a).

So that means that on top of his MP’s salary of £80,000, he’s also raking in at least another £40,000 through some other properties on Ynys Mon.

A lawyer by profession, Mr Berry would certainly know how to milk the system and flip homes for his own financial benefit by being a ‘Landlord MP’.

But of course there’s no benefit at all for the people of Ynys Mon here as a further local home disappears from the housing market into the hands of another greedy interloper.

Once again, normal people are going to look at this story and wonder why are these MP’s so self-entitled and so utterly shameless in their pursuit of their own interests?

And why on earth do we put up with it?

Mr Berry has threatened court action against anyone who reports on this story. Which is a little odd to say the least if he’s got nothing to hide.

As a party, we don’t take kindly to threats and so we are willing to take on this challenge in the public interest.

GWLAD versus Tory MP Jake Berry – how do you think that would play out in the court of public opinion in Wales and in Darwen and Rossendale?