Today the House of Commons will finally have the chance to express its view on the government’s proposed European Union withdrawal agreement. My own opinion remains unchanged since the proposals were first published, and I will be voting against it. The withdrawal agreement commits us to enter into a transition period when we leave the […]
This week the government started testing its plans for managing road freight in Kent in case there are delays in goods leaving the Port of Dover or Channel Tunnel after Brexit. Before Christmas, with other Kent MPs I attended a briefing with the Roads Minister, Jesse Norman, along with Highways England and the Police to […]
I was shocked to see the images of the terrible fire that engulfed Morrison’s in Cheriton Road, Folkestone last week. Like everyone else I am grateful for the brave work of the fire service in tackling the blaze, and for all the staff at the store, who made sure that everyone was safely evacuated. Looking […]
Last Sunday I attended a special service at the Hythe war memorial to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. The Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Lord De L’Isle, along with the Town Mayor of Hythe, Cllr Paul Peacock, and Major Dennis Bradley DL, led the unveiling of a new largescale poppy […]
Last week I organised a meeting at the House of Commons with Cllr Patricia Rolfe, the Deputy Mayor of New Romney, and the Health and Social Care Minister Steve Barclay. We discussed a number of issues relating to funding and delivering front line care in the Folkestone and Hythe District, with a particular reference to […]
Last Friday I met with the film Director Danny Boyle at the Quarterhouse theatre in Folkestone, to discuss a powerful and moving project he will be working on in the town this autumn. Danny is well known for films like Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won the Best Director award at the Oscars […]
Last Sunday, I once again attended the commemorative service at St Stephens’s Church in Lympne to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. I would like to congratulate the Chairman of the Hythe and Romney Marsh branch of the Royal Air Forces Association, Roger Townsend, and all of the officers of the association, for […]
The collapse of the House of Fraser group, with its 59 department stores around the country, including in Maidstone and at the Bluewater shopping centre near Dartford, is about more than the failure of a business. Instead, it seems to signify another major step in the changing nature of our shopping habits and town centres. […]
I think the time has come to revisit the Prime Minister’s Lancaster House speech. Not Theresa May’s in 2017, setting out the UK’s negotiating objectives for leaving the European Union, but Margaret Thatcher’s in 1988, making the case to business leaders for Britain to join the Single Market. She explained to her audience that, “Europe […]
The government has presented its position paper for the next phase of the Brexit negotiations, and although this was agreed by the Cabinet at Chequers last Friday, it is still the subject of hot debate. However you voted in the referendum, and whatever your position on the current negotiations, I think that most people believe […]