‘The government’s got to get its hand in its pocket’: Darlington speaks out on the cost of living crisis

Robin Blair has been behind his fruit and vegetable stall since he was three months old – in a carrycot under the till where his mother worked. Now 77, his is one of the last businesses in the historic market in Darlington, the “red wall” town won by the Tories in 2019, where Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will hold their north-east hustings on Tuesday evening.

Cost of living questions look set to dominate the rest of the campaign. In…