Wednesday 22 September 2021 Last Friday I visited Lydd Airport to meet with David Hainsworth, the managing director, and members of his operations team. The airport has been a feature of life on Romney Marsh for over sixty years and is still an important part of the local economy. I was pleased to hear that […]
Wednesday 15 September 2021 This week the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, set out the Government’s coronavirus strategy for the winter. Before looking at the specifics of those plans, it’s worth reviewing where we are now. Despite the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19, the most infectious strain we have seen so far in the […]
Wednesday 8 September 2021 This week Boris Johnson has set out a series of measures to provide the resources our NHS needs to catch up with the demands for treatment following the coronavirus pandemic, and also to provide a long-term funding plan for social care. A new health and social care levy commencing in April […]
Wednesday 1 September 2021 Last week the government announced its intention to continue to use Napier Barracks for temporary accommodation for asylum seekers for a further five years. An agreement has been reached between the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence and the house builder Taylor Wimpey who have acquired the site, that means it […]
Wednesday 24 August 2021 On Thursday last week I visited the Gurkha hunger strike close to the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, that was being conducted by retired servicemen Dhan Gurung and Gyanraj Rai, and Pushpa Rana Ghale, a Gurkha widow who had travelled from Nepal. This was the thirteenth day of their strike, and […]
Wednesday 18 August 2021 Over the last two weeks we have watched with increasing dismay, the rapid collapse of the government of Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power. For many of our current and former service personnel, this will have been a heavy blow. I think in particular of the Royal Gurkha […]
Wednesday 11 August 2021 Just before the start of the parliamentary summer recess I was elected to chair a special Joint Select Committee composed of members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, to scrutinise the Government’s proposed Online Safety Bill. The committee will hold hearings in the autumn and present its findings […]
Wednesday 4 August 2021 This week the Government confirmed that residents in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency, as well as in many other parts of Kent, will benefit from further investment from the Project Gigabit fund. Over the next few years the government has committed £5billion to levelling up internet access across the UK, and […]
Wednesday 28 July 2021 Last Wednesday I joined Lewis Biggs, the curator of the 2020 Folkestone Triennial, for a tour of some of the new artworks for this year’s show. The Triennial had been delayed since last autumn, but now makes its return with some spectacular new artworks, that are not only talking points in […]
Wednesday 20 July 2021 On Tuesday this week I spoke in the House of Commons in support of the Government’s new Nationality and Borders Bill. This is important and necessary legislation to address the growing problem of illegal entry to the UK by migrants crossing the Dover straits. In 2020, more than 8,500 people made […]