RISHI Sunak achieved one other thing after surprising the country by calling a general election for July 4.
He brought a rapid rearrangement of wedding anniversary plans for one Tameside MP.
An increasingly rain-sodden Prime Minister announced in Downing Street on Wednesday, May 22 the country will be going to the polls this summer.
Many political pundits were taken aback, they were expecting it to be in October or November.
But The Correspondent can reveal one of the three people representing the borough in Parliament was also forced to scramble.
For Stalybridge and Hyde’s Jonathan Reynolds, July 4 was already a significant date.
He said: “Fourth of July is actually my wedding anniversary. It’ll be 16 years since Claire and I were married in Mottram Church.
“We may have now postponed our dinner reservation, but the best possible anniversary gift would be a Labour government which returns hope to areas like ours.”
Should Labour win, there is every chance Mr Reynolds – current Shadow Business Secretary – may land a front bench role.
And while the timing may have brought a rapid change of plans, he feels his party is ready to govern.
He added: “I welcome the news that the Prime Minister has finally called a General Election.
“The country needs change and over the past four years, Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party to provide just that – a party back in the service of working people.
“Labour will get the NHS back on its feet, switch on Great British Energy, get Britain building again, take back our streets and break down barriers to opportunity.
“It is time to get our future back. It is time to vote Labour.
“I look forward to sharing that message with residents in Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley, Longdendale and Dukinfield over the next six weeks.”
The general election will see changes after constituency boundaries were redrawn.
Audenshaw and Dukinfield switch from Andrew Gwynne’s Denton and Reddish constituency to Angela Rayner’s Ashton-under-Lyne one.
While the Denton representative will no longer have two other parts of the borough in his remit – the town is combining with Manchester City Council wards Burnage, Gorton, Abbey Hey, Levenshulme and Longsight in the new Gorton and Denton area.
And Mr Gwynne is looking forward to his new challenge, telling The Correspondent: “This announcement gives the people of Tameside what they need, a chance to end the chaos that has been inflicted upon them by 14 years of Tory rule.
“The choice at this election is clear – a Prime Minister and a party who will continue to wreak havoc on our community, or a Labour Party that stands ready to change the country.
“I look forward to getting out campaigning across the new Gorton and Denton constituency, making the case for that change, in the run up to election day on Thursday, July 4.”
Ms Rayner, current deputy leader of the Labour Party, said: “It’s been an honour to represent Ashton-under-Lyne in Parliament these last nine years.
“I’ll campaign for every vote so we can change our country – together.”
Strange they get there wife’s in on this racket