SALFORD MP Hazel Blears has admitted she made mistakes, in her first interview since she stepped down from the government.
Ms Blears, who resigned from her post as communities secretary last week, pleaded with the Salford public to give her a second chance.
She also denied her resignation, which came after media revelations about her parliamentary expenses, was an attack on the leadership of Gordon Brown.
Hazel, who has represented Salford as an MP since 1997, said: "I'm not perfect, I am human and I have made mistakes.
"It's been the most difficult time of my life but I believe Salford people will give me a fair chance. I'm a Salfordian to my very boots.
"I have wanted to represent Salford people for all my life and I'm glad I have the chance to do that."
Ms Blears also explained her decision to step down from her ministerial career after eight years but insisted she had not stabbed Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the back.
She said: "I decided to step down from the cabinet in the reshuffle which I knew was coming up. Jacqui Smith had already made her decision public and I decided that I wanted to make my intentions clear. I sent a letter to the Prime Minister to tell him and he wrote back saying that he wished me well and hoped to see me in the government again soon.
"These are not the words of a man who I am trying to assassinate.
"It was not my intention in any way to undermine the Prime Minister.
"I would not dream of damaging our electoral chances and I am sorry if it was perceived like that. The media wanted to write the story of the Prime Minister being undermined but it was not like that."
Ms Blears also spoke out against the media, who have camped outside her home since the story of the expenses broke last month.
The Salford MP claimed more than £20,000 a year in second-home allowances, and was embroiled in controversy after sending a cheque back to the Inland Revenue for £13,000 in capital gains tax.
She said: "I have been married to Mike for 20 years and he has always supported me every step of the way. This has been incredibly difficult for my family, especially the pressure of the last few weeks. I want to carry on being a champion for Salford and my husband is very supportive of this. He is very proud of what I have achieved and has stood by me and I want to thank him, my mum, dad and my brother as well."
Ms Blears will now dedicate her time to supporting the people of the city.
She said: "I have been working 16 hour days as a minister and have not had a lot of time. I want to use that time now to help the people of Salford, who come first, second and last for me. I thought, what can I do using my experience that I got from working in government, to help the people of the city.
"I have been in the Labour party for 30 years. I'm Labour through-and-through but I know some Labour party members said telling the Prime Minister on the day before the European and local elections was very difficult.
The Salford MP pinned a brooch, bought by her husband Mike, to her coat when she resigned from the government last Wednesday, June 3.
It contained the slogan "rocking the boat" and a picture showing what appeared to be a shipwreck.
Ms Blears, who resigned after damaging expenses revelations, said her Salford edge encouraged her to ‘stick two fingers up’ at the media.
She said: "I have had four weeks of constant intrusion the like of which I have never known in my life before. I was leaving and I did not feel that I was going to go under a cloud and I thought, ‘you know what, this is what I'm going to wear.’
"It was the Salford in me coming out, like I was regaining control of my life and my family's lives. It was sort of like a two-fingers up at the media after all this.
"This has been the most difficult time of my personal and political life. I do acknowledge that people are very angry and I know that I have a big big task now to rebuild my relationship with the people.
"Salford people are pretty fair and I really hope that they will not wipe off what I have achieved in the last 30 years. People are quite disappointed. They are a bit disillusioned with politics in general. They have been quite disappointed but they have been warm."
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Salford loves you Hazel - read all about it at www.salfordstar.com
So she is Salford to her boots. I was under the impression that she had already filled her boots with expenses. She still hasn`t explained 2 double beds and 2 large screen televisions in a one bedroom flat. I suppose one should feel sorry for someone so devoid of morals and decency
Blears is only after what she could get, Salford to her boots - get real read her Biography and you’ll see her own self interest. She went to High School outside of Salford, Trent Polytechnic and Chester none of these are in Salford. She then tried to get elected in Tatton and then Bury South before getting a safe Labour seat given her. She has worked anywhere but in Salford at Rossendale, Wigan and Manchester. She is only out to line her own pockets and this has been proven beyond doubt.
salford to your boots hazel ? you was but not anymore. the people of the city of salford fight ignorance arrogance everyday just to be called salfordian's. you dont have the basic manners to fight for salford. you have been written to contacted by facebook.dont come back now you have kicked london in touch with the i'm a great salfordian your not
“Salford people fair, disillusioned and warm” – I think not, Hazel. You have insulted them once too often now, incapable of understanding is how you described them following the No vote, why should they understand you now? It is a shame that they will not have the opportunity to raise the metaphorical two-fingered gesture at you come the next election. Your constituency labour party will still let you stand at the next election because you have used some of your expenses for them, you will still get re-elected because the alternative could be the BNP for the average Salfordian. The dyed-in-the-wool Salford red will never vote Blue but they might consider voting for one of the council’s rope figures with magnetic feet and hands (see the article ‘it was on the cards, wasn’t it?’) if the party were to replace you – Come to think of it, that might be a better idea as a representative for the city in the House of Commons, less likely to cost the taxpayers so much!
"It's been the most difficult time of my life ", oh poor you, but your not are you blears!, your very wealthy, not so your constituents, tax payers, who have had difficult times all their lives, a lot of whom are have lost their ONLY home!. ‘Rocking The Boat’ badge, she believes she is a local working class hero, one of you, a "us and them" attitude she thinks proves here allegiance to ordinary Salford folk , nothing to do with, "a two-fingers up at the media ", how could it be, in serving themselves they also serviced the voting public by uncovering corruption and fraud in government, surely as a socialist you would not berate them for that?, though its plain you are having difficulty understanding why they would want to empower the people with knowledge which "clearly" was never part of your agenda. "They are a bit disillusioned ", they certainly are but in the true sense/meaning of the word = enlightened. Look upon the media at your gate as guards, as I am sure, many, like me would want to take a punch not a picture!.
This woman really is appalling. It is quite clear that her actions were a deliberate attempt to destabilise the premiership of Gordon Brown, who was about to sack her from the Cabinet. She selfishly put her own needs above those of her party and as a result, we now have a BNP MEP. This woman's treachery is in a class of its own, and that is saying something, given that most politicians wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and smacked them in the face. She now realises she badly miscalculated the public mood and has miraculously rediscovered her Northern roots in a grovelling bid to remain in Parliament after the next General Election. I sincerely hope her CLP have the good sense to deselect her before the next election. If they don't, I will be praying for an independent like Martin Bell to stand against her. She has let her party and her constituents down very badly, and should be ashamed of herself.
Does the following truely reflect the feelings of Salford's Labour Voters? News article - Blears plays down no confidence vote threat - by Pamela Welsh, Salford Advertiser, 28 May 2009 [Quote]...The Salford Labour constituency party is scheduled to meet in mid-June and some of the 40 delegates could force a vote of no confidence. If the vote goes against her, about 500 constituency members would then be asked to vote on whether Ms Blears should be deselected. But the chairman of the CLP, John Cullen, said: "No one has called me or the secretary to request a meeting which discusses deselection. Hazel is willing to attend a question and answer session at the next constituency meeting - she attends all our meetings." A CLP statement issued on behalf of Mr Cullen, plus the secretary and treasurer, said they had ‘full confidence‘ in Ms Blears and she would be their candidate in the next General Election. Mr Cullen said: "I don't doubt that some people are very angry, but I have not picked up a call for a vote of no confidence."...[Unquote] It is surely time for Salford's Labour voters to flood these Delegates with calls for Ms Blears to be deselected. Can somebody please post a list of CLP delegates, with contact details, to get a campaign started.
I dont understand when she says about her expenses exposure "are simply not true". She very publicly paid £13,000 capital gains tax that she had failed to pay on the sale of one of her properties. She only paid this because she was found out. To see her back pedaling now after the damage she and others have brought not just on the labour party but politics in general is appalling. It is true what they say, "people get the politicians they deserve". No one deserves having Hazel Blears represent them. She obviously is incapable of making a coherent decision and sticking with it and the childish wearing of a stupid broach is incomprehensible. At least Smith and others have stood by their decision but the U turn being exercised by Blears in an attempt to rescue what might remain of her political career is frankly sickening. It doesn't do much for women in politics either.
There is a perfectly simple solution to this problem. De-select Blears and select Ian Stewart. He is a good MP who will not have a seat at the next election due to the removal of the Eccles ward. He would certainly win Blears`s seat
John Marshal, "John Cullen, said: "No one has called me or the secretary to request a meeting which discusses deselection." I find it hard to believe that "No one", not a single person has called, if he/secretary have no calls at all, on the issue, then is it because of a technical hitch, unknown/hidden number, unanswered/ignored calls, ignored/conveniently lost requests?. If the truth is that no such requests have been made, then this is appalling, and is why the likes of blears have managed to sit pretty on lucrative thrones. People of Salford, one phone call costs buttons!, not doing costs 100s thousands, OF YOUR MONEY!.
Does anybody believe a word that comes out of this womans mouth? I am so insulted by her comments about wanting to get back to her political roots and champion the people of Salford. We hardly ever saw her unless it was on TV swanning, self improtantly around London.