Sadly, the Downing Street parties issue is still paralysing our democracy. This week things took an ugly turn for the worse with the awful mobbing of Keir Starmer and David Lammy outside Parliament. I was sickened to see that footage and that the issue of Jimmy Savile was connected. I am completely at odds with the PM in what he said and did here. I was in the Chamber and was upset at the PM’s approach and behaviour. It was completely inappropriate to attack Keir Starmer when the PM was trying to defend his own actions. To bring up the abhorrent case of Jimmy Savile, with all the hurt and pain that this brings to the surface for those affected, was completely inappropriate and indefensible. Words have consequences and I hope the PM reflects long and hard on that.
As I have previously said, I was shocked and appalled at the numerous parties at Downing Street. I am so frustrated about the “extremely limited” nature of Sue Gray’s update, whilst we await the conclusion of the Metropolitan Police investigation. For me, this is a matter of integrity and honesty at the heart of Government, and we need to get clarity and closure as soon as possible. I categorically will not defend the indefensible. I fully share the country’s outrage and upset about these Downing Street parties when people up and down the land were making huge personal and sometimes tragic sacrifices to do the right thing and obey the public health rules. Again, I maintain, if rules and indeed the law have been broken, then quite rightly there should be serious consequences for all those involved, no matter who they are, or how senior they are.
During the height of the pandemic Parish Councils were sitting virtually. In our rural areas there are huge benefits to allowing Parish Councils to continue to meet virtually or in hybrid format. This capability changed in May 2021 when the High Court ruled that these should be in-person meetings. I have been campaigning for a reinstatement of these virtual/hybrid rules on behalf of Parish Councils across Penrith and The Border and took the opportunity to question the Local Government Secretary, Michael Gove, on this. He was receptive to the idea, but we now need to see actions match words. I have been working with the Cumbria Association of Local Councils (CALC) on this and we are both very keen for this necessary change in the legislation to happen.
We are still waiting on a final decision for the proposed West Cumbria coal mine after the Government called it in for review last year. I remain opposed to it as we try to pivot away from reliance on fossil fuels, albeit this proposal is for metallurgical coal. After hosting COP26 we must be a world leader on this; it is hard to ask other nations to move away from coal whilst simultaneously opening a UK coal mine. I pressed the COP26 President, Alok Sharma, in Parliament on this as there will come a stage soon when the Government must make a decision on the recommendation of the public inquiry into the coal mine. I hope they make the right one.
The last few weeks have seen flashpoints in the area of foreign affairs. There can be no doubt that Russia’s massing of troops and military hardware on its border with Ukraine is a huge cause for concern. I stand fully behind the UK Government in their condemnation of Russia’s actions. Elsewhere in the world we saw the devastating impact of the earthquake and consequent tsunami in Tonga. I took the opportunity to question the Foreign Office Minister, on the strength of our support and the importance of the Commonwealth in helping countries in times of need. I also questioned the Foreign Secretary on the need for a UK/EU veterinary agreement, as biosecurity is vital.
My campaign standing up for Cumbrian farmers rolls on. I questioned the International Trade Secretary about safeguard mechanisms in the UK/Australia Free Trade Agreement that would assist British farmers. One such mechanism is the Tariff Rate Quota, which I have long been a campaigner for. This week on the EFRA Committee I quizzed stakeholders on these issues in our formal Inquiry on the Trade Agreement. We need to make sure that our British farmers, who are the best in the world, do not get undermined by cheaper imports that do not meet our high animal welfare and environmental standards.
We recently had the announcement about the freezing of the BBC licence fee until 2024. I think our precious BBC does need reforming, but we should not scrap the licence fee altogether. It is clear to me that presenters of popular programmes get paid too much and it is possible to make efficiencies across the service. The BBC is an amazing national asset; it provides world class news, nature, drama and sports programming and was very helpful in providing education to children during the pandemic. I am clear that we cannot make terrestrial television harder to watch at a time when parts of rural Cumbria struggle with internet connectivity.
