After losing 336 councillors, as well as control of 10 council areas, the local elections should have jolted the government into life to level-up areas like Bolton.

However, in Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech, during which the government outlines their agenda, we saw the opposite.

We have now had 12 years of Conservative rule.

Growth is revised down, and the Bank of England predict that the economy is headed for recession.

Meanwhile, inflation could soar to as high as 10 per cent, prompting a rate rise which will hit mortgage prices.

Bolton needed a real plan from the government.

A plan which committed to buying, making, and selling more in Bolton; one which revitalised Bolton town centre; and one which offered a windfall tax to fund real support for families in Bolton.

Bolton is still awaiting the “levelling-up” promised in 2019.

A recent report from Bloomberg noted that the three Bolton constituencies are behind 2019 levels on salaries, civil service employment, government spending on transportation and life expectancy.

In my constituency, Bolton South East, it has also fallen behind 2019 levels on Universal Credit support.

It’s not just the economy. As a former criminal barrister, I have been shocked to see the police and justice systems gutted.

In Greater Manchester, the Tories have cut 2,000 police officers and nationally the figure stands at 20,000.

The justice system is on the brink of collapse as the courts backlog currently stands at around 60,000 cases.

This is 60,000 people waiting for justice.

It is hardly a shock then that Bolton’s crime rate stands at 122.5 crimes per 1,000 people, much higher than the national average of 85.5.

Nationally, since 2019, crime is up 18 per cent and prosecutions are down 18 per cent. The charge rate is now a record low at just 5.8 per cent - down from 15.5 per cent in 2015.

The Tories locally and nationally masquerade as the party of law and order - but it is empty rhetoric.

Under the last Labour government, we increased numbers of police officers, prison officers, and PCSOs.

The Tories are holding Britain and Bolton back – they simply refuse to act on so many fronts.

I genuinely fear for the safety, wellbeing, and prosperity of my constituents. From local businesses to households, the Government has offered nothing.