Proud town put down by a clown

November 26: Tory Home Secretary James Cleverly was caught on camera putting Stockton down

Today I wrote an article in the national press after Stockton came under attack from the Conservative government’s new Home Secretary.I am committed to stand up for Stockton so went straight out to defend it in national TV news from Yarm High Street and in the national press, as well as our local champions at BBC Tees, Teesside Live and The Northern Echo.The Mirror gave me space to defend Stockton alongside its forensic exposé of how AI technology has proven once and for all that the Home Sec said what we know he said. You can read the full piece below.This isn’t party political. We all make mistakes but it’s about our elected representatives being accountable and doing what is right.Stockton North’s Labour MP Alex Cunningham MP sprung to his feet immediately in the House of Commons to defend our town. We come from different parties but Tees Valley Mayor Lord Ben Houchen was right to condemn Mr Cleverly for “dragging Stockton’s name through the mud”.I believe that Stockton South’s former Conservative MPs Lord James Wharton and Tim Devlin would have called out such an attack on our town just as Paul Williams, Dari Taylor and Lord Ian Wrigglesworth would have done.Former MP for Stockton and Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan would never have let it stand. It’s a question of decency in my opinion.That’s why it’s a mystery that the current MP won’t take a stand.At the next election, the new seat of Stockton West will choose a new MP and the choice is simple.Does your candidate stand up for Stockton or not?PROUD TOWN PUT DOWN BY A CLOWNI grew up in Stockton and it’s the place I’m proud to call home today. Straddling County Durham and North Yorkshire, Stockton has a proud history and a bright future.
The Stockton to Darlington railway gave the world its first steam-operated public train service in 1825. Today we still host Britain’s export-rich chemical cluster where my own dad worked.
Stockton High Street is the widest in the country, and historic Yarm and Norton sit alongside hard-working Thornaby, Billingham and Ingleby Barwick as places where decent people graft and serve Great Britain in the NHS, schools and the Armed Forces.
We’re a proud people, but we’re also fair-minded.
Stockton gave the Home Secretary the chance to come clean, own up and come to our town to apologise. He didn’t .
To add insult to injury, Stockton South’s Tory MP, Matt Vickers, leapt to the Home Secretary’s defence, instead of defending our town.
Who was he kidding when he wrote he understood “there’s some debate about what was said and by whom”? We all heard the tape. Now the Mirror has proved it once and for all.
Instead of levelling Stockton up, Tory ministers are putting Stockton down.
This isn’t about left versus right, but right versus wrong.
James Cleverly should resign and Matt Vickers should hang his head in shame for putting loyalty to this clown before his loyalty to our town.

The Green Industrial Revolution

October 27: Joe spoke to Teesside Live about his positive vision for Stockton West

Great to speak to Teesside Live about my positive vision for Stockton West.As a Teessider, I am local and rooted in Stockton West, and have the experience to deliver on the issues that matter most like the Conservatives’ cost of living crisis, saving our NHS, cutting crime, and delivering new and better-paid jobs.Only a long-term industrial strategy powered by a new Labour government can enable Great Britain to seize our once-in-lifetime opportunity to lead the world again by unleashing the Green Industrial Revolution on Teesside.Click here to read the full article on Teesside Live

Watch Joe Dancey set out his priorities for Stockton West

Click the icons to find out what Labour's 5 missions will mean for Stockton West

I am local and rooted in Stockton West, have the experience to get things done and will always put our community first.After all, this community gave everything to me. I grew up in Eaglescliffe and today I live in Yarm. Junction Farm Primary School then Egglescliffe Comprehensive helped me win a place at Oxford University. My father was a chemical engineer at Seal Sands and my mother worked as an NHS stroke nurse at James Cook Hospital.I’ve spent my career making a difference in both private and public sectors. After helping to deliver Britain’s first-ever National Minimum Wage, I served at the heart of the UK government. In 2007, Lord Sebastian Coe recruited me for his office at the London 2012 Olympic Games where we put the best of Britain on show to the world.Today I am self-employed and, since 2015, have used my national experience to help business and industry in Teesside secure millions of pounds of private and public investment for new jobs and innovation.After 14 years of Conservative government, it’s time for change. Mortgages and bills have soared thanks to Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak’s cost of living crisis, forcing local firms out of business. Our NHS is going through the worst crisis in its history where the sick struggle to get a GP or dentist appointment. North Tees Hospital is crumbling.Britain can only achieve its potential with a change of government and a new MP for Stockton West. I’ll be out and about to meet as many people as possible ahead of the election and I’d love to hear from you.It’s time for change in Stockton West.Best wishes
Joe