Latest from Westminster...

February 2019
 

This week in Parliament has been a challenging one and whilst I anticipate that it will go down in history, I sense that we should have acquitted ourselves a great deal better and many people will be dismayed at what is happening.

Brexit is an issue which has divided families, the country, Parliament, the Government and indeed the Cabinet. There is no easy solution and my own view is that we must respect the result of the 2016 Referendum and deliver Brexit. However this requires MPs neither to seek to thwart Brexit nor to stick rigidly to entrenched positions refusing to compromise.

The current impasse and uncertainty are damaging the economy, which has proved remarkably resilient to date, stalling business activity and threatening people’s livelihoods. Whilst Parliament seemingly goes round and round in ever decreasing circles, other vitally important issues are not being tackled.

We need to get on and thrash out the detailed terms of our future relationship with the European Union, as well as getting the Fisheries Bill through Parliament. We must step up our efforts to agree new trade deals and to extend the UK’s influence around the world, on tackling such issues as climate change.

Domestically we must address the ticking time bomb of reforming adult social care, where a consultation has been delayed numerous times. We need to get on with securing  better funding settlements for education [particularly for Special Education Needs and for colleges such as East Coast College and Lowestoft Sixth Form College], for Suffolk Police and for our councils.

Bizarrely after two heavy defeats, the Prime Minister’s Deal remains the only one on the table with any immediate prospect of overcoming the current deadlock. In the coming fortnight before 29^th March MPs need to set aside their differences and make one last Herculean effort to get a deal acceptable to a majority of MPs across the line.

Fishing

I appeared on BBC Sunday Politics at the beginning of February to discuss the dangers of pulse fishing.

Petition

I presented a petition to Parliament on behalf of 65 Lowestoft residents and homeowners, highlighting the poor quality of insulation work that was carried out to dwellings on Seago Street and in the surrounding area as part of a Government-backed Community Energy Savings Programme (CESP).

It is not right that such work, as part of a Government-backed scheme, has been carried out in such a sub-standard way and has had such a negative impact on many residents and homeowners, affecting both their health and the value and saleability of their homes. It is important that the necessary remedial work is carried out as quickly as possible. 65 residents and homeowners signed the Petition, though there may be others who are affected and if anyone has concerns I should be very grateful if they would let me know.

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Lowestoft Journal

Police Funding

I made a speech in Parliament highlighting the increasing challenges facing Suffolk’s police and calling for a radical shake-up of the county’s police funding settlement to address the disparity with similar areas. Suffolk is a great place to live, but from a crime perspective I am afraid that it is no longer a rural idyll. We have a wide variety of policing challenges to meet, and a new, sustainable, long-term system of funding needs to be put in place through the comprehensive spending review.

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East Anglian Daily Times

Funding for Counties

As Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Counties, I spoke in a debate calling for for a long-term, sustainable solution for local government funding for county areas. County areas - as opposed to Metropolitan Boroughs and Unitary Authorities for example - receive the lowest amount of funding per head from Government. Coastal areas in particular have a real problem of social mobility where young people are missing out on opportunities that are available so readily elsewhere in the country.

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Homelessness

I spoke in a debate on homelessness and praised the work of St Mungo’s and Access Community Trust in Suffolk in particular. I called for an assessment of any correlation with the roll-out of universal credit. We also need sustainable, long-term funding for homelessness services as well as an increase in the amount of affordable housing available.

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Fishing post-Brexit

I took the opportunity of DEFRA Questions to seek an assurance from the Government that post-Brexit fishing quota will be fairly distributed to enable the revitalisation of the Lowestoft fishing industry. Local fishermen need to be able to earn enough for a fair living for themselves and to supply the local merchants and processors needed to support the industry.

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Zimbabwe

In Foreign Office Questions, I raised concerns put to me by local people about the continuing police and army brutality in Zimbabwe. The Government needs to work with neighbouring states to hold President Mnangagwa to account and we need to ensure asylum seekers are not returned to the country while the human rights violations continue.

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Holiday Parks

I spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on holiday parks. I do not believe we need new laws. Unscrupulous holiday park operators should be dealt with under existing laws. Additional legislation could have a negative impact on the vast majority of sites which are well run and are a vital component of the tourism industry along the Suffolk and Norfolk coast.

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Farming

I joined other Suffolk MPs to meet with the local NFU and DEFRA officials in a meeting in Westminster.

East Anglian Daily Times

Energy

I chaired a meeting the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Energy Storage where we looked at the work taking place to deliver flexibility in the UK energy grid to support the transition to renewables.

Sixth Form visit

I visited Sir John Leman High School Sixth Form on their Diversity Day.