WELCOME TO MY WEEKLY UPDATE no.282
It may seem like we were just on the long summer break but parliament has broken up after just two weeks for the party conference season. Labour have theirs this weekend and ours is in Birmingham at the end of the month - get ready for the leadership beauty parade which I am rather relieved not to be part of. Meanwhile locally there are lots of building works going on and (even more) dealings with Thames Water. We also have a by-election campaign in Godalming, Binscombe and Charterhouse ward where I am hoping the excellent Daniel Husseini will be elected.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
THE STATE OF GLOBAL DEMOCRACY PART 1 There was a second hugely concerning assassination attempt on Donald Trump over the weekend. That one of our closest allies should suffer another such moment of political violence is very sobering indeed. America is the world’s most powerful and important democracy but too often it doesn’t work as it should and that is a great concern to all of us who believe in democratic values.
AND PART 2 Of course there is only one country in the world where people are actually giving up their lives to defend democratic rights and that is Ukraine. I was proud to visit Ukraine this year and be part of a government that provided record support for the country. Sir Keir Starmer has been discussing what we can and should be doing for the country in his meetings with world leaders, including President Biden last week, and there was lots of discussion in the weekend papers about whether we should authorise the use of UK Storm Shadow missiles on military targets inside Russia. But it is surely time the government set out a clear timetable, as Rishi Sunak and I did, for when defence spending will increase to 2.5% of GDP. Being in Poland to make that announcement was a moment I will never forget. But the world has not got any safer since then so – get on with it please, Labour.
BACK HOME And nor is it helpful when the government tries to spin fictional stories about £22 bn black holes. George Osborne and Ed Balls discuss in their latest podcast why the strategy isn’t really working for Labour. The biggest problem is that nearly half the ‘black hole’ comes from public sector pay rises. Nor will they say much else about where the rest comes from, after the Financial Times on Thursday revealed that the Treasury themselves are refusing to disclose key details. Laura Kuennsberg writes intelligently about why their approach won’t hold for much longer. People will soon tire of a government that spends its precious airtime blaming its predecessors rather than explaining what it actually wants to do to make the country better.
WHAT’S GOING ON LOCALLY
CONSTITUENCY CALLS My first call today was to a lady who is one of the victims of the contaminated blood scandal. Finally announcing compensation for victims of this terrible scandal was one of the proudest moments of my time as Chancellor as it was an issue with which I was closely involved as Health Secretary, indeed responsible for the original decision to have a public inquiry. In her case the shocking thing was that she didn't get her diagnosis of Hep C until 2010, 37 years after she was infected. She had questions about the delivery of the compensation scheme, the lack of punitive damages and the compensation available for children, all extremely important issues to sort out. I will take them up on her behalf to Nick Thomas-Symonds who is now the minister responsible. My second call was to a lady from Alfold about the potential budget increase in capital gains tax for second homes and the impact it would have on pensioners who depend on rental income for their pension. She is of course absolutely right.
ELSTEAD SEWAGE PIPE Local residents have been in touch because they are dealing with rotten sewage leaking on the road and into the river on top of road closures and a constant stream of sewage tankers. I am in touch with Thames Water and will keep everyone updated. Can we please have a permanent fix given this same pipe has burst a few times in recent years on Hankley Common?
ASH ROUNDABOUT I have been contacted by several constituents about the new Ash roundabout where there are still no pavements for pedestrians making it very hairy to get across. I have raised this with Surrey County Council and will keep you updated.
CRANLEIGH ROADWORKS Amlets Lane is closed yet again this week for Thames Water works. I know this will be hugely frustrating and will add to the already long queues of traffic on the High Street especially when there were closures on Ewhurst Lane over the weekend. At least work should end on 19th September - and great that the new traffic lights are now installed on the Ewhurst Road.
DUNSFOLD SHEEP Hoping whoever lost their sheep on Chapel Hill last week has found them! Separately Dunsfold and Alfold have contacted me about an ongoing spate of anti-social behaviour in the area and so I am looking into this further.
GODALMING, BINSCOMBE AND CHARTERHOUSE BY-ELECTION A huge good luck to Daniel Husseini in his final week of campaigning ahead of next week’s by-election. Daniel did a brilliant job helping me save the Boots in Farncombe and would be a formidable local advocate. We have had a great response on the doorstep! Thank you too to Cllr Nick Palmer who is stepping down for his sterling service to the community.
FARNHAM BIKE RIDE Huge congrats to my neighbouring MP Greg Stafford and the rest of the nine-strong team who took part in the Farnham Charity Bike Ride yesterday, together raising £3,331 for the new Cancer Centre at the Royal Surrey. There is still time to donate here.
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AND FINALLY… Surrey may well be the most dog-loving area in the country so I am sure you will also love this story about a Brazilian dog who plays footvolley- a combination of football and volleyball. One for Poppy next summer…
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