The Speaker’s ruling was a good one on the government’s Withdrawal Agreement. It has twice been decisively rejected. On the second occasion the government tabled additional documents and argued it was a amended proposal,  but  many in Parliament thought the changes did not amount to much. As I wrote at the time, ask the same question and you probably get the same answer. From this clear ruling it seems the government cannot  now table the same Agreement and vote again on it before the end of this week when the PM goes to the European Council.

If she goes to the Council and gets some material change to the Agreement then she could return to the Commons next week and seek another vote. Meanwhile the ruling should also have implications for some other hardy perennials that this Parliament likes to go over and over again. Several times we have voted down staying in the customs union. We have voted down a second referendum. We have voted down the Cooper-Boles-Letwin idea of taking over the Commons agenda to legislate for Brexit delay. Perhaps now these cannot  be put again either.

It is also true that the Commons approved a motion against leaving without an Agreement. That however contradicts the legislation the House has passed, where the legislation will take precedence unless amended.

I am urging the Prime Minister to go to the Council at the end of this week and tell them we ware leaving without signing the Withdrawal Agreement. I am asking her to table a free trade agreement and to invite them to talks as we leave the EU in accordance with their timetable. I do not see why the UK would seek an extension to Article 50. So far Ministers have been unable to come up with any plausible reason why the EU should grant us an extension.

Bexleyheath and Crayford Conservatives held their AGM on Friday evening (15/3) at the Bexleyheath Conservative Club and elected Cllr. Howard Jackson to take the Chairmanship for the coming year.

Last week we saw the Chancellor give his Spring Statement to Parliament.

The independent figures published in the statement demonstrate that our economy is growing increasingly resilient, with employment forecast to continue to rise, faster levels of growth as compared to other European economies and wages rising faster than at any point for a decade.

The Government is committed to creating a digital economy in which people can have confidence. We are also redoubling our commitment to skills and world-class infrastructure, staying at the cutting edge of clean growth, whilst tackling the big challenges, such as knife crime, head on.

As we are all too aware, knife crime continues to be a persistent problem. This bothers me. Having met with Policing Minister, Nick Hurd, a few weeks ago to press for increased funding to deal with this matter, I was pleased to see the Chancellor commit a further £100 million to help tackle this important issue. The funding will be provided directly to Police and Crime Commissioners and a majority of the money will be coming to metropolitan areas, including the West Midlands region.

I was also pleased to see the Spring Statement reiterate that from this April hard-working families will once again be rewarded with a further increase in the National Living Wage and an increase in their personal tax allowances rising to £12,500 next April, up from £6,475 when the Government came to power in 2010.

Home ownership is something that for too long, too many young people have only been able to dream of. The ambition to restore this dream was clear in the Spring Statement with a commitment to a further £3billion to deliver 30,000 more affordable homes.

In a week that was dominated by Brexit, I feel we should not overlook the Spring Statement and as your MP I feel it is important to highlight some of the key points.

Here’s my update video on the the latest Brexit developments and the proposed Incinerator in Whitchurch.

Local MP Jesse Norman joined a large gathering of local people last Friday to celebrate the move of NMITE, the New Model in Technology and Engineering, Herefordshire's new university, into its first campus buildings at Blackfriars in the city.

Westminster Week

On Tuesday, I voted against the Withdrawal Agreement. Having failed to secure substantial changes to the Withdrawal Agreement, the Prime Minister was unable to allay my fears over the UK possibly remaining trapped in the deal permanently. My full criticism of the Agreement can be found on my website.

Bridlington’s MP Sir Greg Knight is backing a Parliamentary motion highlighting the role B&Bs, guest houses and small family run hotels play in our tourism economy and drawing attention to National B&B week which runs from 18th-24th March.

The motion emphasises that B&Bs and small hotels form the backbone of UK holiday accommodation and play a key role in supporting local livelihoods.

Sir Greg said: “In tourist areas like Bridlington it is important that we have a range of accommodation available to holiday makers from hotels, to serviced apartments to B&Bs. I am pleased that visitors to our area are almost spoilt for choice with over 100 small hotels and B&Bs on offer. Bridlington is certainly open for business when it comes to tourism.
He added: “The wider tourism economy in East Yorkshire benefits from the good quality accommodation we have on offer.”

Sir Greg also urged people to book their holiday or break with small local hotels and B&Bs as they are great value for money.

This morning I visited local tech company Mobius who have recently moved to the Sheldon Business park having outgrown their previous offices. Mobius Logistics uses a real-time tracking system that lets clients see scheduled deliveries. It uses GPS data to plot the exact location of trucks, showing progress, expected arrival time, consignment temperature and more.

They plan to grow over the next few years meaning more jobs for local people. There are also exciting opportunities ahead for this company with Brexit and I shall be linking them up with the Department for Exiting the European Union.

The post Local tech company Mobius appeared first on Michelle Donelan MP.

There have been a long series of debates and votes on BREXIT in the House of Commons over the last few weeks.

West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has today repeated her desire for an orderly Brexit delivering on the result of the 2016 referendum. read more »

Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, was delighted to visit Hull Paragon Interchange for a tour of a state-of-the-art Hitachi Class 802 train due to be introduced by Hull Trains later in the year.

Graham commented: “It’s no secret that 2018 was a challenging year for Hull Trains and a testing time for the patience of its passengers. My constituents have all too frequently expressed their frustration at Hull Trains’ delays and cancellations and the impact that this had on their day-to-day lives.

“I jumped at the opportunity of viewing a hi-tech 802 train as I wanted to experience exactly how the fleet would enhance the quality of rail travel for my constituents. I was also keen to gain a clearer picture of what this upgrade would mean for transport infrastructure in the region overall.

“The 802 struck me as modern, comfortable, and far more spacious than the trains currently in operation. However, while the interiors are important, reliability is the key factor for my constituents. Given that the trains are bi-modal, they will be able to travel along the East Coast Main Line’s electrified track, preventing disruption when the overhead lines are damaged. Crucially, the fleet also includes five trains as opposed to the three that the time table requires. I very much hope that these factors will herald a new era of improved and consistent services for passengers. Indeed, it is full steam ahead for Hull Trains.

“In the meantime, I appreciate that my constituents may have concerns about using the rail company’s services. A few weeks ago, I met with Louise Cheeseman, Managing Director of Hull Trains, who assured me that a High-Speed Train has been added to the current fleet and that this has already driven significant improvements.

“The Hull Trains upgrade is a milestone moment and a positive step towards revolutionising the region’s transport network. Transport infrastructure whether by rail or road is vital to economic growth and the well-being of my constituents, so I will continue to do all I can to ensure that Beverley and Holderness benefits from a high-quality transport network.”

A note to my constituents...

There is no doubt it has been a busy week in Westminster with a lot of voting on a range of options.

For my constituents, below is an account of how I voted. As ever, please get in touch if you would like any further clarity.

My approach to Brexit in recent months has been based on two simple principles:

Dear Mrs Julia Ross

You will remember that I wrote to you back in January asking your team to consider the innovative model for emergency treatment and care which was put forward by the Consultant Body of Weston General Hospital, and you agreed. I think your team has already met several times with the Consultants, and assessment of their model is now underway in parallel with the rest of the Healthy Weston Consultation. Preliminary analysis by both sides shows there are many similarities and overlaps between the two proposals, but also some important differences which have to be bottomed out as well.

Since then I’ve asked the Consultants how we can gather evidence which can inform the decision on whether their model will work in practice, and whether it will be more efficient or more effective (or not) compared to the Healthy Weston proposals. Essentially, they believe the most credible approach would be to pilot their proposals to provide the necessary data.

The Consultants tell me this pilot could be set up pretty quickly (within about a month) and that it would not take very long for the model to gather the statistical data needed to show whether the predicted improvements to patient flow and efficiency have been delivered. It would take a little longer (up to a year) to show clinical outcomes but, crucially, I’m told a pilot would be safe for patients.

With all this in mind, I’d like to ask the CCG to work with the Consultants and the hospital’s management to deliver this pilot in Weston. It should lead to a better eventual decision, and would have the backing of not only Weston’s Consultant Group but many members of the public too.

Yours sincerely,

John Penrose

MP for Weston-super-Mare

In 2015, I was elected on the Conservative Manifesto which promised to deliver a referendum on our future relationship with the European Union. In 2016, I joined 544 other MPs in the division lobbies to vote to legislate for that referendum. I then voted with 498 MPs to trigger Article 50 and for the Withdrawal [...]

The post Brexit Update appeared first on Royston Smith - At the heart of Southampton.

Maria Miller, the Member of Parliament for Basingstoke has today welcomed news that two local organisations, “Helping hands for the blind” and “Bob Sign Language Action CIC” have been awarded funding by the National Lottery Fund.

One of the most important Treasury projects I launched last month was the opening of University Enterprise Zones (UEZs) throughout the country. The aim of these zones is to more closely integrate universities with the businesses in the regions that surround them. I am pictured here with the Universities Minister at the launch of a UEZ at Nottingham University’s Robotics Technology Research Programme. The idea is that innovative research in facilities like this one is converted into meaningful economic benefit for the surrounding communities. Through Government incentives, Universities will strengthen their cooperation with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and develop new incubator spaces for innovative new businesses to engage with research. For Newark & Bingham, this will mean greater access to some of the brilliant new research carried out at the East Midlands’ best universities, bringing skills, jobs, and investment.

It was clear from the moment the Government invoked article 50 that any agreement would likely come about late in the process. This has always been the way the EU has negotiated and whilst Parliament has pulled itself apart rather than coalescing around a single vision, Michel Barnier and his team have felt little pressure to offer the Government enough to get the deal over the line.

Until now we have seen a majority of Parliament working against Brexit. The LibDems and the SNP have wanted to pretend that the referendum never happened using a second referendum as a final throw of the die to undo the 2016 result. The Labour leadership just want a General Election. Jeremy Corbyn could write his own deal and still vote against it because of his single minded party political approach. Thus the Conservatives have been the only party looking to achieve an end in the country’s best interest although clearly there are a range of options as to what that end should be.

So we end up after two years approaching the end game; the crunch votes which will see if we get Brexit at all or not. Having campaigned and voted to leave, I voted for the original Withdrawal Agreement as I was and remain worried about the possibility that those of us who battled to get to this point could end up as heroic losers.

Although the default legislative position is that we leave with no deal in the absence of an agreement, there seems to be a clear majority in the House to avoid no deal at all costs. I’ve been clear that I would much rather leave in an orderly fashion with a deal but would be prepared to leave with no deal as long as we have tried everything to secure one first. The best way to tackle any short term turbulence and prosper after has to be by retaining as much goodwill as possible with our nearest trading partners.

But taking No Deal off the table is madness. That would be like someone trying to negotiate a lower price from an estate agent whilst their spouse is behind them measuring up the curtains and holding colour charts up to the walls in full view of the smirking agent. EU member states would like us to remain, albeit not at any cost, so the prospect of sufficient flexibility on the backstop to get the deal across the line diminishes each time a senior MP talks down the UK’s willingness to walk away from the negotiating table.

Leaving on WTO terms will cause disruption for a number of reasons. Firstly WTO terms by its very definition only covers trade, not security or other areas of co-operation so other deals would need to be negotiated as soon as possible. The government has released its latest impact assessment of a No-Deal Brexit expressing concerns about the serious impacts it will have on the UK. We will overcome these in time, should it go on for long. However I am not convinced we will be in no-deal territory for a protracted period. With the clock running down, both sides are eyeballing each other waiting for one to blink and change position. The UK hopes the EU will learn the lesson of the Cameron renegotiation when their reluctance to give him any more than a fig leaf, probably tipped the referendum result to a leave vote. The EU hope we will back down and not walk away without a deal.

However after March 29th, the EU have nothing further to push if they want to see us pay the full amount of recompense outlined in the Withdrawal Agreement and avoid any mitigating budget changes the Chancellor may consider to keep our economy competitive which will likely come at a cost to the EU, especially our nearest neighbours. A revised deal will likely come back within weeks and agreed. If this should transpire, we will need to be creative to ensure that the UK doesn’t lose out in a war of attrition during this period. But there is simply no need to test this theory. We can keep on the road to securing an ambitious free trade deal with the EU and get on with grabbing the opportunities that I voted for when I put a cross in the Leave box, by voting for the Withdrawal Agreement tonight. The second stage of negotiations can turn an imperfect deal into a good one as long as we show the real ambition that Global Britain is all about.

I wish that the EU negotiating team had made this so much easier by showing just a bit of flexibility, recognising the problematic nature of the backstop and making enough change to get the DUP and Conservative leavers to support it. Although the extra legally-binding assurances about the backstop are helpful. Despite the selective reading of the Attorney General’s legal advice by many which has only focused on the last paragraph rather than taking in the whole document, there are three key points about this latest change.

1. The improved deal has a new, legally binding commitment, with comparable legal weight to the Withdrawal Agreement, that the EU cannot try to apply the backstop permanently… and the UK could ultimately suspend the backstop if they did.
2. The legally binding text also says the UK and EU will work on Alternative Arrangements to replace the backstop by December 2020… so the backstop need never come into force
3. The UK Government will make a Unilateral Declaration that if the backstop comes into use and discussions on our future relationship break down so that there is no prospect of subsequent agreement, it is the position of the UK that there would be nothing to prevent the UK instigating measures that would ultimately end the backstop.

Failure to leave will be a disaster on so many fronts, not least the prospect of any meaningful reforms to the institution that we will have chained ourselves to for years to come.

Having waited for Brexit for decades, the prospect is just days away. Rather than risk losing this prize, we must grab our chance, get through the open door and run towards freedom.

Education leaders from across Boston and Skegness came together last week to hear from Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, at the second Constituency Schools’ Conference, hosted by Matt Warman MP at the Giles Academy in Old Leake.

Following the success of the first Constituency Schools’ Conference in 2017, this year’s conference gave head teachers and school governors across a large rural constituency the opportunity to get together to discuss the important issues which are affecting local schools. While many of the constituency’s schools provide students with a brilliant overall education, only 14 per cent of state-funded mainstream secondary pupils in Boston and Skegness are in a school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, so the conference also provided an opportunity to share best practice across the sector.

As well as Amanda Spielman, HM Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills for Ofsted, speakers included John Edwards, Regional Schools Commissioner for East Midlands and Humber, and Mark Foley, Deputy Director of the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Matt opened the conference by sharing a personal message to local education leaders from Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds, who paid tribute to local teachers and governors’ “dedication to doing the best for their pupils”, and reiterated the Government’s aim to “[strive] harder than ever to make sure every child in this country gets the very best education.”

This was followed by an ‘In conversation with’ session with Ofsted chief Ms Spielman, which saw schools raise questions around offering an enriched curriculum and the data element of school inspections. Topics discussed also included the proposed new Ofsted education inspection framework which is currently out for consultation.

Amanda Spielman commented, “I was delighted to be able to join teachers and school leaders from Boston and Skegness, to listen and respond to their questions and to discuss our plans for the new inspection framework. As I said, let’s all be talking about education, not about numbers!”

Mark Foley, Deputy Director of the Education and Skills Funding Agency also gave a presentation on schools’ financial health and efficiency and shared information on benchmarking tools for finance, national deals to enable schools to benefit from bulk buying power, and support available from ESFA. This was followed by a discussion led by Regional Schools Commissioner John Edwards on the context and opportunities within education in the constituency. The key message was that collaboration between schools, whether schools with similar characteristics or schools from a shared geographic area, is vital to driving improvement.

To close the conference, Matt chaired a Q&A session with the panel, which enabled the local leaders of education and governors to raise further questions on specific issues.

Speaking after the event Matt said, “I am so grateful to the dedicated school leaders and committed volunteer governors who do so much to ensure their schools offer the highest teaching quality and provide all students with the opportunity to reach their full potential. The Government is committed to ensuring schools are equipped to deliver the best possible education to all students. A good education can be the single greatest transformer of lives, and it is rightly at the heart of government policy. School standards are rising. As at August 2018, there are 1.9 million more children being taught in good and outstanding schools nationally compared to 2010. This represents 84 per cent of children, compared to just 66 per cent in 2010, and is, in part, down to education reforms.”

Education Secretary Damian Hinds MP’s full message to local teachers was as follows:

“What you and your teams do is one of the highest callings, the noblest of roles, with an impact on our society, far, far into the future. I have been so struck by the hard work, the care, the imagination shown by teachers and leaders – their dedication to doing the best for their pupils. So, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you. There can be no great schools without great teachers. To motivate children, to make knowledge meaningful, to inspire curiosity. The quality of teaching matters more than anything else. We have, together, been striving harder than ever to make sure every child in this country gets the very best education – so that when they finish their formal education they have the knowledge, the skills and the qualifications that set them up for life, whatever path they take. I know that some areas of the country, such as Boston and Skegness, face unique challenges, in recruitment for instance. So I welcome schools coming together to explore the best possible outcomes for pupils, I hope that the event this evening is a huge success and that you will be able to share some of the outcomes with me.”

Jonathan Djanogly responds to the East-West rail Bedford and Cambridge route option consultation in support of routes B and E.  read more »

Today in the House of Commons, I asked Education Secretary Damian Hinds what the Government can do to support Cobham Free School to move into its permanent accommodation at Munro House. I was pleased that he agreed to meet with me to see what help the Department for Education can provide to seek early vacant possession of the site.

As local residents will know, Cobham Free School’s secondary department has been in temporary accommodation since 2014. Although it is welcome that the 6^th Form is moving into Munro House in September of this year, the rest of the secondary department won’t join them until 2021. I share the frustrations of pupils and parents at this delay.

When I meet with the Secretary of State, I will continue to push for more support from the Department for Education to ensure that Cobham Free School can move into its permanent accommodation, in full, as soon as possible.

You can watch my question here (From 14:40m30s)

Even days later I am still buzzing at the success of my Jobs Fair at Ashford College. We could only just about cram in all the employers and organisations who wanted to attract new recruits, despite taking all the public space on the first two floors.

Firstly, I wanted to reassure you that the consultation is not specifically about Epsom and Ewell. Heathrow is carrying the consultation out across a large swathe of the London area so that people are aware that they want to make changes to their flightpath arrangements.

This is not a Government consultation, and indeed we have received no proposals from Heathrow. If they do bring forward proposals for change in the years before a new runway opens, then they will have to do so through the proper procedures set out by the Civil Aviation Authority which exist for making airspace changes. These procedures include the need for detailed consultation to be carried out with those who may be affected, and which will occur at a later date.

There are two different processes happening on airspace at the moment to use it more efficiently. The Government, together with the organisation that controls Air Traffic Control, and individual airports are doing work on how to improve the way that airspace is used. As an example of this, modern technology should be able to be used in a way that reduces the stacking of aircraft in the London area waiting to land at Heathrow. Most of the planes that circulate above our area are in a holding pattern waiting to land at quite high altitude, rather than on approach to Heathrow which is normally further north. Better use of modern technology should make it possible to reduce or even eliminate this from our area. This is something that we are working towards for the 2020s.

Heathrow itself wants to start to make more efficient use of airspace, and change some of its ways of working, as well as to have some more daytime flights – though it doesn’t have space to do many more than at the moment. As an example, current practice requires more flights to land over London rather than from the West, and they are interested in modifying this. My understanding is that this broad ranging consultation is designed to test public views about different options, and as I say they are doing so over very wide areas – some that are regularly affected by planes overhead, and others that are less so.

As constituency MP, I am not currently aware of any likely significant increase in flights over Epsom and Ewell, although Heathrow has yet to submit to the CAA formal proposals. But because of my Government role, and the fact that my Department may have to assess any future airspace change proposal from Heathrow, any representations I make will have to be done in a way that doesn’t compromise the legal position of the Department.

So can I reassure you that I am watching this very carefully, and will always do what I can to ensure that my constituents do not face unacceptable change.

Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT

The post A message from Chris Grayling MP about the Heathrow airspace consultation. appeared first on Chris Grayling.

Mae'r Pwyllgor Materion Cymreig yn parhau gyda'r ymchwiliad i Doll Teithwyr Awyr, gyda sesiwn dystiolaeth yng Nghynulliad Cymru yng Nghaerdydd ddydd Iau 7 Fawrth.

Mae Toll Teithwyr Awyr (TTA) yn dreth a godir gan Lywodraeth y DU ar hediadau i gwsmeriaid o feysydd awyr y DU ac fe’i codir fesul teithiwr. Mae TTA yng Nghymru a Lloegr yn cael ei rheoli'n ganolog gan Lywodraeth y DU. Serch hynny, mae TTA wedi ei datganoli i'r Alban ac i ryw raddau i Ogledd Iwerddon.