Welcome to my weekly update no.344
As the war in the Middle East dominates the news, the ramifications in the UK are huge: energy prices, defence spending and the fractured US relationship are all massive issues for the political parties. The Chancellor’s Spring Statement was almost forgotten - which to her at least was probably a relief. Locally we are coming to terms with the very sad news of the death from cancer of the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford.
WESTMINSTER WHISPERS
INFLATION INCOMING? When I was Chancellor, the rule of thumb was that a 20% increase in energy prices added 1% to inflation and knocked 0.5% off growth as I told Sky News last week. Oil and gas prices are now well above that, with oil prices spiking above $100 for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Even if Trump ‘declares victory,’ as many think he will do given collapsing global markets, huge risks remain: a hostile regime in Iran keeping the Straights of Hormuz closed, civil war in the country causing regional chaos or Iranian-backed terrorist plots in Europe. G7 Finance Ministers have called an emergency meeting and Rachel Reeves’s officials will be glumly reminding her that I had to find £78 billion to help people with their fuel bills after Ukraine. I discussed this and more on the BBC’s Week in Westminster on Saturday (time stamp 8:54).
We won’t grow the economy by hiking taxes ever higher - my question to the Chancellor
WHAT WE DO KNOW…is that we will need to spend more on defence, as I reminded Rachel Reeves in the Commons this afternoon. In 2024, I fought hard inside government to increase it to 2.5% of GDP but that now seems too little. It was, as I explained on Wednesday’s Today Programme (time stamp 1:50), a mistake not to allow the US to use our bases. They were not asking us to join them but when American taxpayers are funding one third of the cost of defending Europe we should be realistic about our obligations. International law, by the way, is far from clearcut and does allow you to come to the defence of an ally under attack. But any damage to the special relationship is recoverable if and only if we bite the bullet on defence spending, and quickly.
AND WE STILL NEED THE NHS TO DO BETTER I follow many NHS issues closely, but none more so than maternity safety following the Morecambe Bay and Shrewsbury and Telford Inquiries which I set up. Things have improved, but not by enough. So following the publication of Baroness Amos’s interim report into maternity care, I outlined in the Telegraph what I think our priorities should be: continuity of care in both maternity and GP services (being looked after by the same doctor or midwife), breaking down ideological divisions between midwives and obstetricians, scrapping of more targets, reforming our approach to litigation and getting better at actually implementing recommendations – not just letting them gather dust. If I sound like a cracked record on some of this, apologies but it is so frustrating when progress is slower than it should be.
LOCAL LIFE
TIME TO BAN SMARTPHONES IN SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UNDER 16’s Tonight I will be voting in parliament on a range of measures that will give our children back the childhoods I and many parents think they should be allowed to have. And we also have a public meeting on the issue at 12.30 on Friday in the Wilfred Noyce in Godalming on Friday with the Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott as the guest speaker. Book your free place here.
SAD NEWS Many of us were shocked to hear the news last week of the untimely death from pancreatic cancer of Bishop Andrew Watson. Andrew served the Diocese of Guildford with great faith, humility and compassion and was widely respected across our area as a thoughtful and principled voice in public life. We will miss him – and send our thoughts, love and prayers to his family.
69 HIGH STREET Last week councillors voted by the narrowest of margins to proceed with Waverley’s £7.5m housing scheme at 69 High Street Godalming. I’m afraid I think it is a shocking waste of money: just 13 flats will be delivered at an astronomical £600k per flat - far higher than buying similar flats on the open market. The bill is to be covered by Waverley’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) which is ring-fenced for council tenants - meaning some of the most vulnerable housing tenants will be picking up the millions of losses via higher rents in the long term. Conservatives were joined by some LibDems in trying to block this scheme but sadly to no avail.
SURGERY CALLS My first call was to a Dunsfold constituent worried about an increase in anti-social behaviour in the Stovold’s Hill area, an issue I have raised with both the police and Waverley on numerous occasions. I am going to talk to the leaders of Alfold and Dunsfold parish councils about what needs to happen next. I then spoke to a nursery teacher at the Binscombe early learning centre about the fact that her business rates are going up an extraordinary 87% this year as a result of changes in the way early years centres are assessed. I will take up the issue with Waverley, who are yet to give her a refund after she won her appeal, and the Chancellor about the fact that school-based nurseries do not pay business rates but independent businesses do. I then spoke to a Tongham resident who has been denied IVF because her husband, who has cancer, has children from a previous marriage. On compassionate grounds if nothing else it feels totally wrong so I will take up with Frimley and the Health Secretary.
CIL GOOD NEWS FOR ONCE…as £14 million of developer contributions have been allocated. It is particularly good to see £700,000 towards the Royal Surrey’s new Cancer Centre. More controversially, there is an additional £2m towards the spiralling £36m budget for Cranleigh Leisure Centre. This allocation follows sustained pressure from many Conservative councillors who were concerned about the multimillion pot of unspent CIL accumulating huge amounts of interest, so it is a real relief to see funds allocated to the infrastructure as they should be. More on this from CIL committee member Cllr Phoebe Sullivan here.
NOT MORE A281 ROADWORKS! Residents and businesses in Bramley (and the villages south of it) are reeling from the news of more major roadworks - this time by SGN will mean up to 35 weeks of disruption. The work to replace the gas mains is clearly necessary - given the number of leaks this stretch has experienced in the last few years but it really does feel that Bramley and the surrounding villages have had more than their fair share of disruption in recent years. I know how concerned many local businesses are about the impact, so please do continue to support them while the works are underway. More on this from local Councillors here and here is the link to the SGN website.
NEW LORD LIEUTENANT Congratulations to Neelam Devesher, who has been appointed by the King as Surrey’s next Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, taking over from Michael More-Molyneux when he retires in September. Neelam has done a huge amount of work supporting communities across Surrey; I know she will bring great energy and commitment to this important role representing the Crown in our county. And a huge thank you to Michael More-Molyneux for his many years of dedicated service to Surrey.
A ‘RURAL OSCAR’ FOR CHIDDINGFOLD BUTCHER? R G Young and Son has reached the finals in the 2026 Countryside Alliance Awards (in the Butcher category). The Countryside Alliance Awards celebrate the best of rural enterprise, produce, heritage, and community life. This year, thousands of nominations were received, showcasing the passion, dedication, and impact of rural businesses across the UK. Perfect timing to pick up a roast for Mother’s Day and vote for this brilliant local butcher:https://www.research.net/r/CAA26SEPolitical Voting closes: Monday 6 April.
AND FINALLY A quick reminder that this Sunday is Mother’s Day... so there is still time to make those plans! In the UK, Mothering Sunday is always celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, unlike many other countries where it falls on different dates. The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, when people would return to their “mother church” on the fourth Sunday of Lent during the Christian season that follows Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.
Useful LinksRegister to vote - Register to vote - GOV.UK
Report a pothole - Surrey County Council FixMyStreet
Report an issue WBC - Report Issues or Problems | Waverley Borough Council
Report an issue GBC - Report an issue - Guildford Borough Council
Surrey police non-emergency - Contact us | Surrey Police
Citizens Advice Surrey - Home - Citizens Advice South West Surrey
