On Monday morning this week the French authorities started to clear the south side of the camp of temporary shelters, known as the Calais Jungle. People living in the camp are being encouraged to take up accommodation from the French authorities, and priority is being given to children and women. France is also offering refugees […]
Events in Calais over the last ten days have given us further cause for concern. Firstly, we have seen the threat of the return of major industrial action at the Port. Ferry workers set fire to tyres in protest at the failure of DFDS, as they see it, to honour commitments they have made regarding […]
The large numbers of migrants in the Calais ‘jungle’ camp have been causing major disturbances to services through the Channel Tunnel in recent days. This has involved hundreds of migrants charging the perimeter fencing and gaining access to the tracks; actions that not only endanger their lives, but those of other people as well. This […]
Britain has a proud tradition in providing a home for genuine asylum seekers and refugees, and delivering international aid around the world. According to the Red Cross, last year 126,000 refugees were living in the UK and more than 30,000 people entered the asylum system, seeking asylum in this country. According to figures from the […]
The House of Commons returned this week after the summer recess and business has been dominated by the consequences of the migration and refugee crisis in Europe; an issue we have also been working on over the last few months. I was in the chamber on Monday to listen to the Prime Minister setting out the package of […]
This summer we have seen just how connected everyday life in Folkestone and Hythe is to the conflicts that are ripping apart countries like Syria, Iraq and Libya. It might be tempting for some people to believe that no matter how tragic, these are troubles in far away countries that have little to do with […]
Eurotunnel has confirmed that the new security measures at Coquelles in France are making a real difference to preventing migrants from breaking into the Channel Tunnel terminal. The number of migrants seeking to enter the tunnel in this way has fallen from as many as 2,000 per night, earlier in the summer, to around 150 […]
We have seen a big improvement to Kent’s roads over the last ten days since the lifting of the Operation Stack restrictions. This is mainly a result of the improved situation in Calais where there have been far fewer disturbances to the services through the Channel Tunnel, or from the Port of Calais, than in […]
Following the chaos on Kent’s roads this summer it is clear that we cannot go on as we are with the M20 closed for three to four days a week, for weeks on end, with the gridlock this causes on many of the county’s key roads. We have lobbied government Ministers and made the case […]
I met with the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, on Tuesday morning, along with other Kent MPs, to press for more action to resolve the pressure the County has faced during recent weeks from Operation Stack. I believe that there are three key areas for action. Firstly the need for lorry parking space […]