Reasons to be positive

As I write this, the ongoing deadlock in Parliament over how to leave the European Union looms over everything else. I know that virtually everyone across the country feels deeply frustrated and, in some cases, angry, at the inability to reach a settlement and deliver what people voted for. 

The deadlock also crowds out discussion and debate on many other important issues and means that some good news gets overlooked. One area is the continuing success of our economy to create growth and new jobs. Recent figures have confirmed our continued progress but has gone under reported. In 2010 when Gordon Brown left office, our national debt was spiralling out of control, there was a recession, unemployment was rising, and youth unemployment was a persistent problem. 

As a government we had to take some tough decisions in order to restore fiscal responsibility and get our country’s finances back on track. Everyone has made sacrifices and played their part and now, because of the hard work that we have put in in, we’ve begun to turn our country around and get the economy moving again. 

Nine years after the Labour Party left government, unemployment is at its lowest level for 50 years with a record number of just under 33 million people now in work, and the highest employment rate since records began in 1971. What this means is that the number of people working has continued to grow, whilst the share of the workforce looking for work and unable to find it remains at its lowest level for over 40 years. In Camborne and Redruth, the unemployment rate remains below that of the national average with the total number of unemployed claimants for December 2018 totalling 1,245 or 3%. This is less than the equivalent UK claimant rate of 3.1%, and more significantly that of the national unemployment rate of 4%. 

Recent figures confirmed that the country’s debt is also continuing to come under control with the Government delivering the lowest yearly borrowing rate for 16 years and recent figures showing that overspending by the Government has fallen with it being at its lowest level since 2012 and £13.1billion less than last year. 

These statistics are no accident but the product of a series of reforms introduced by the government to improve our economy and a lot of hard work by everyone to achieve for their family. We’ve cut taxes, reformed welfare, made it easier for businesses to employ people, frozen fuel duty and increased the national living wage. As a country, we’re now growing faster than other EU nations, with the International Monetary Fund recently stating that they expect the UK to have the joint-fastest GDP growth among European countries in the G7 nations in both 2019 and 2020, further strengthening the case that Britain is a great place to live, start a business and raise a family. 

All of this is built on the foundations of the principles of fiscal responsibility and delivering a strong economy that works for everyone. Despite the current Brexit gloom felt by many, Britain is back on its feet, strong and growing stronger every day. Whilst there is still a long way to go, the progress that we have made demonstrates the flair, ingenuity and hard work of the British people, and the Government’s resolve to improving our economy.

Honouring the result of the referendum

Although people are weary of talking about Brexit, as we approach the critical moment of departure it does dominate everything in political debate and events are moving quickly. Difficult negotiations often go all the way to the wire and this one is certainly difficult. 

I have always thought that it would be better to come out of the EU in an orderly way with an agreement on a future partnership to ensure there was no disruption to trade. However, to deliver this required both the EU to act responsibly and for parliament to work towards finding a consensus that would end the Brexit argument and put our country back together. In the event, the EU dragged its feet and made the negotiation protracted and far more difficult than it needed to be. Meanwhile, parliament has so far stubbornly refused to bridge the differences in opinion that exist to secure a consensus. 

My hope has always been that a compromise around an option similar to Norway might eventually prevail. It would mean we became an independent country again, took back control of agriculture and fisheries and could have an independent trade policy while aligning some of our technical rules with our closest trading partner to facilitate trade. 

However, there is one group of MPs who refuse to consider such an option because they want to go further and another group who refuse to consider it because they still think that they can use a parliamentary ruse to frustrate the referendum result, block Brexit altogether and force people to keep voting until they vote to stay in. As a result, deadlock currently reigns, and the clock is ticking. 

If parliament cannot forge a consensus and the EU refuses to make concessions, then we have no option but to walk away without an agreement. In the weeks ahead, I will still argue for compromise and continue to offer an olive branch to other MPs who have dug themselves in to polarised positions. However, in the final analysis we must honour the referendum result. I strongly oppose those who argue that we should ignore a democratic vote and try to force a second referendum. I will not support cancelling Brexit nor holding a second referendum. 

Leaving without an agreement will cause some friction and it is difficult to predict the extent of this until we actually do it. The government has been actively planning for this contingency for two years since it was always a possibility. In my own department, Defra, huge amounts of work as gone into the systems that would be required for borders and for new documentation to accompany exports and to consider what our trade policy should be in a "no deal" scenario. It won't be smooth, but we are probably as ready as we could ever be. People want us to get on with it.

Which way now?

As I write this column, Parliament has just rejected the Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement from the EU by a huge margin and we are about to face a day of debate in a confidence motion in the government. The one thing we know is that things can always get worse in politics! 

However, out of the current chaos it is still possible that a consensus could emerge. The current impasse has been driven by a number of factors. Firstly, the country remains deeply divided over the decision to leave the EU and parliament reflects that. Secondly, too much emphasis was placed on what was "negotiable" with the EU and not enough on what would gain support back home and as a result, our negotiators made too many concessions that stored up serious problems that were then exposed when tested to a vote. Thirdly, Jeremy Corbyn desperately wants a General Election and that objective has been put above trying to find a settlement that the country could unite behind. 

The default position now is that we leave the EU without an agreement and revert to what is called "WTO rules". The government has been actively planning for this contingency for two years since it was always a possibility. We are probably as ready as we could ever be. In my own department, Defra, huge amounts of work as gone into the systems that would be required for borders and for new documentation to accompany exports and to consider what our trade policy should be in a "no deal" scenario. However, it is likely that, even with this planning, there would be turbulence and problems that are hard to predict. Much would depend on whether the EU would behave in a responsible way and try to make things work smoothly or whether they would behave in a reckless way. We don't know exactly how smooth or difficult a no deal scenario would be. 

The ideal answer therefore, is for parliament to reach an agreement on an alternative approach and then force the EU to do something they are not always good at - making a decision quickly. The first thing that needs to happen is for Jeremy Corbyn to have his day trying for a no confidence motion in the government but hopefully get defeated. By the time you read this article you will know the outcome of that no confidence motion. If we have a General Election now, then nothing can be done for six weeks and if there were a new Labour government at the end of it, they would then immediately cancel Brexit and betray all those who voted for change in 2016. However, if Jeremy Corbyn loses that vote of no confidence, then it will focus minds and it is then it is possible that the Labour Party will be willing to engage sensibly in a discussion about what sort of agreement the they would support. 

The second thing we need to do is vanquish those who want to ignore the referendum result and force people to vote again until they learn to do what the political elites demand. There is no point at all having a second referendum if parliament lacks the integrity to honour the result of the first. A decision to ignore the 2016 referendum result would be deeply damaging to our country and must not be allowed. 

However, we then need to reach a settlement that reflects the result of the 2016 referendum and allows parliament and our country to make peace with itself. I have said before that there is now growing momentum behind a so called Norway option that would mean we leave the EU with immediate effect but delay our departure from the EEA agreement. Under this option, we would become an independent country again with our own agriculture and fisheries policy but we would remain in a free trade area with the EU. It was actually Britain that invented the idea of a European Free Trade Association as a rival to the EU back in the 1950s. We built an alliance of seven countries at a time when the EU only had six. With hindsight we made a terrible mistake by abandoning what we had created and surrendering our independence to the EU in 1972. Maybe in the end we will pick up where we left off but there will be more argument before we get to that point.

Protecting our Cornish Heritage

By the time that many of you are reading this article, Parliament will have made a decision on the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal. Regardless of the outcome, it is important that the country and MPs come together and unite behind Parliament and the Prime Minister. There may be some tough decisions and times ahead, but history has shown us time and again that if we unite together, then we can get through the challenges that lie ahead of us. 

Recently the Office for National Statistics ruled that they would not be permitting the option of a Cornish tick box on the 2021 census. This is despite a long campaign led by local residents, campaign groups and MPs to recognise Cornwall’s heritage.  

Cornwall has always been unique. We have a strong identity and our own language and culture. Many of us consider ourselves Cornish before English and in recent years we have seen a renewed interest in learning the Cornish language. That is why it is surprising that the ONS has not yet realised the merits of including the option of a Cornish tick box on the next Census.  

In the aftermath of the decision, my fellow Cornish MPs met with Chloe Smith MP, Minister of State for the Constitution at the Cabinet Office. At the meeting it was highlighted that the ONS’s current position does not reflect the statement the Government made on the Cornish ethnic minority status in 2014 – something we are determined to see realised. It’s also clear that the ONS sees this issue as something that is a geographical one. This is incorrect. Cornish people are not confined to just Cornwall. There is a diaspora of Cornish people who live all across the UK who should be allowed to identify as just that, and that is what we should give people the opportunity to recognise.  

Following this meeting, it was agreed that there should be further discussions regarding this matter. Over the past few years, we have seen a growing interest in Cornwall’s history and culture. Camborne, Redruth and Hayle are at the very heart of this revival. The new Cornish archive, Kresen Kernow, is really taking shape on the site of the old brewery. I lobbied hard to ensure that Redruth, home to most of the worldwide Cornish diaspora, was chosen as the location for this project, which will create new jobs, housing and continue the wider regeneration of the area. 

Before 1996, students taking their GCSEs used to have the option of studying Cornish, but it was discontinued due to a lack of participation. I now think the time is right to reintroduce the Cornish language as a course. The evidence shows that there are benefits to learning a second language that goes beyond the learning of the language itself, and while some students may feel uninspired by French or Spanish, they may feel more enthusiastic about studying their native language. It is only right that as people’s enthusiasm for embracing its Cornish heritage continues to rise we support people’s decision to identify as Cornish. 

Supporting our local communities

Now that Parliament has returned from the Christmas recess, much of the focus and attention will shift back to the ongoing Brexit negotiations. Parliament will have a huge decision to take about what we do next as a country. There are great divisions over how or, for some people, whether we should carry out the democratic decision to leave the EU. Although we are in the eye of the storm right now and it seems impossible to see a way through, it is just possible that there could soon be an outbreak of consensus. 

Closer to home however, there have been a number of good news stories that demonstrate the work that is being done to support charities and businesses. Recently it was announced that the Government would be providing a funding boost of £5million to support lifesaving charities that work hard all year round to help keep our waterways safe. This funding has come as part of the inshore and inland lifeboat grant scheme which has provided £1million for charities every year since 2014.

The two charities in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle that received extra funding were Hayle Surf Life Saving Club and Surf Live Saving Cornwall. The money will help to pay for new boats, safety equipment and other costs to support rescue teams. We owe emergency service workers a debt of gratitude for the courage, commitment and dedication they demonstrate in keeping us safe.

Further Government support has also been provided to the Royal Cornwall Hospital’s Trust by the Government in a bid to help deliver improved clinical facilities and backlog maintenance. £9.1million of extra Government funding comes as part of the wider plan to provide better services for patients, integrate care better and renew aging facilities. It comes on top of the £20.5bn per year extra funding for the NHS over the next five years - the longest and largest funding settlement in the NHS's history. The investment is part of the wider plan to provide better services for patients, integrate care better and renew aging facilities.

Supporting our local communities also comes in different forms. Recently, I attended an event in Parliament hosted by the charity Guide Dogs to raise awareness of discrimination against guide dog owners. In the UK it is against the law to refuse access to a disabled person accompanied by an assistance dog except in the most exceptional circumstances. However, a recent Guide Dogs survey found that three quarters of assistance dog owners reported that they had been refused entry by businesses. It’s important that as we work to make society more inclusive and accessible for all that we continue to support those in our communities, including those who are the most vulnerable.

My office is always open to help assist people with queries or cases that they may have. If you have a problem that you need help solving, why not email us to provide some detail or drop into our Camborne office to arrange to meet one of our team. George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk, by telephone on 0207 219 7032 or by appointment in our Camborne Office at 13 Commercial Street, Camborne, TR14 8JZ.

Happy New Year

The New Year has always been regarded as a time for hope and optimism. For some, it is a chance to turn over a new leaf, stop smoking or start exercising. For others it’s a chance to take up a new hobby or reflect on what’s happened in the previous year. 

The uncertainties that have dominated the Brexit negotiations mean that for some, we go in to this particular New Year with a degree of apprehension. Although we are in the eye of the storm right now and it seems impossible to see a way through, it is just possible that there could soon be an outbreak of consensus. I firmly believe however that 2019 will be a defining moment in our country’s history as we leave the EU and re-establish the rule of British law in many policy areas including agriculture and fisheries. 

But closer to home there are many reasons to be optimistic. In the campaign to protect our greenfield sites we have achieved a number of victories protecting these valuable green spaces, particularly at Menehay Fields and Troon. I have always said that there should be a principle of building on brownfield sites before greenfield sites, especially around our towns. Developments should also be done with communities, not to them. Planning decisions will always be contentious but by working together with residents and local councillors we can help protect what makes Camborne, Redruth and Hayle such a beautiful place to live. 

The work at Hayle Harbour has also continued to progress and earlier this summer I met the current owners to discuss their plans and to encourage them to move forward now that all the other work has been completed. Up next on the list is the other phases of the regeneration and the completion of the mixed development on the rest of South Quay and building the proposed flats and houses on North Quay. 

At Redruth there has also been some great work done as the new Archive Centre is beginning to take shape, and at South Crofty, discussions are continuing with the owners of the mine on their plan to build a new modern mine targeting tin and lithium. This is an exciting time for the mine and local community as we rejuvenate an industry that is close to the hearts of many in Camborne and Redruth. 

Finally, in Portreath, the local Parish Council are working with the Environment Agency and Cornwall Council to progress plans for a flood alleviation scheme. This is an important step forward for the local community as we look to protect homes and businesses in the face of the extreme weather which we continue to experience. 

2018 was a turbulent year in British Politics and that looks set to resume when Parliament returns. In the meantime I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year and a break from the arguments about Brexit! 

If you have a problem that you need help solving, why not email us to provide some detail or drop into our Camborne office to arrange to meet one of our team. George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk, by telephone on 0207 219 7032 or by appointment in our Camborne Office at 13 Commercial Street, Camborne, TR14 8JZ.

Christmas

As I write this column, Parliament has just broken up for the Christmas period and the final Christmas Cards have been sent, ready to catch the last post in order to make it before Christmas. 

In an increasingly digital age, where a Facebook post or digital Christmas message has become the norm, it’s refreshing that the tradition of Christmas cards plays a vital role in keeping touch with old friends and family. Throughout life, there are always old friends who we are in danger of losing touch with. Sometimes because they have moved away, changed job or are preoccupied with other priorities. The annual Christmas card is often the final thread that prevents you from losing touch altogether, so time writing cards is time well spent. 

This year, as in previous years, I enlisted the help of local primary schools in the area to design my Christmas card. We certainly have many talented artists in this part of Cornwall! This year’s winning design was by Scarlet Tymms, and her as picked as the winner because of the wonderful design of looking through a window, seeing the festive holly and creating such a wonderful scene. 

At this time of year we should also acknowledge the extra work we create for the Royal Mail with many millions of extra items of post to process in just a few short weeks in December and our postmen go out in the worst weather that a Cornish winter can throw at them in order to make sure that families and friends keep in touch and receive their Christmas cards on time. 

It is also important to acknowledge that this time of year can often be a difficult and sometimes lonely time of year for people. We all get setbacks in life whether financial difficulty, a disability, problems with housing or difficulty getting the right benefits or support from the Council.

To make things worse, one of the frustrating things about modern life is that it sometimes seems hard to get through to anyone to explain the situation.  We all have experience of being held in a queue for a telephone helpline only to be told when we do get through that we are in the wrong place. 

I hold advice surgeries most weeks and also have a dedicated team who are here to help unblock problems.  At any one time we have about 300 live cases where we are trying to assist people.  We can't help in every case, but we always try our best.  Our offices in Westminster and Camborne can offer help and advice, and where necessary, pick up the phone on your behalf to try and get the problems sorted.   

If you have a problem that you need help solving, why not email us to provide some detail or drop into our Camborne office to arrange to meet one of our team. George Eustice can be contacted at george.eustice.mp@parliament.uk, by telephone on 0207 219 7032 or by appointment in our Camborne Office at 13 Commercial Street, Camborne, TR14 8JZ. 

2018 has been a turbulent year in British Politics and it looks set to resume in the New Year. However, now that Christmas is upon us, I would like to wish everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas, prosperous New Year and a break from the arguments about Brexit!

Keeping people and their pets together

Animal rescue centres report that they are inundated with pets that have had to be offered up by their owners because landlords are to ready to put in place conditions in tenancy agreements that forbid pets. 

Last week in Parliament, Cats Protection held a reception to raise awareness of the problem and to launch their campaign to change attitudes. I think it is an important issue. My own pet cat, Gus, was adopted from a Cats Protection rehoming centre and he had to be given up by his previous owner because she was moving home, and the new landlord would not accept pets. 

We are a nation of animal lovers and, for many, their pet dog or cat provides vital companionship. Locally in Cornwall we have some exceptional charities who help keep elderly or vulnerable people united with their pets. The Cinnamon Trust in Hayle runs a nationwide network of volunteers who visit elderly people and take their dogs out for a walk. As well as providing their pets with exercise the volunteers also provide much needed social contact for people ask risk of loneliness and, should the pet’s owner sadly pass away before their pet, the dog has a social bond with their walker and this can help resettle them. 

Many elderly or isolated people gain so much from having the companionship of a pet. It can help combat loneliness which is a growing problem in our society. It is a tragedy when they are separated from them as a result of attitudes that come from some landlords or, more usually, the attitudes of estate agents that are managing properties for landlords and can’t be bothered to accommodate the needs of their tenants. To make matters worse, it is then the animal rescue centres that have to pick up the pieces and there can be emotional stress of the pet. 

In the summer my office was contacted by a constituent whose dog had sadly passed away. It was a relatively young dog, and she was clearly heartbroken by the loss of her companion. Unfortunately, she had been told by her housing association that she would not be able to get another dog. Whilst they had allowed the dog when she moved in, as she already had him, they couldn’t give permission for a new pet. I thought this made no sense at all and asked that they look at the case again. The Housing Association concerned has since reviewed their policy on these matters to do more to keep residents and their pets united. 

There are challenges and problem enough in life without making things difficult when they need not be. Often all that is required in areas such as this is an attitude change so that it becomes the default position to allow pets in rented accommodation rather than the lazy default position not to allow pets. Estate agents who draft standard template tenancies have an important role to play to ensure that they do not cause completely avoidable stress and a burden on animal welfare charities.

Brexit

The next week will be an incredibly difficult but important time for Parliament. We have a huge decision to take about what we do next as a country. There are great divisions over how or, for some people, whether we should carry out the democratic decision to leave the EU. 

Although we are in the eye of the storm right now and it seems impossible to see a way through, it is just possible that there could soon be an outbreak of consensus. I have always said that we needed to read the referendum result as we designed our future partnership. It was a clear vote to leave but 48% voted to remain. The country voted for a cautious and slightly apprehensive Brexit. 

The Prime Minister has had a difficult task trying to reconcile a divided parliament. There are elements of the withdrawal agreement that reflect what people voted for. In the so called "backstop" arrangement we would have tariff free access to the EU, would have ended free movement and we would not have to pay any contributions. However, there are undoubtedly elements that are uncomfortable too. For many, the absence of a unilateral exit clause means that there are risks we get stuck in a rut and many issues in the negotiations have been postponed to a future date. 

There are multiple amendments that have been tabled to the motion and things could happen quite quickly. There is a group of people who think we should ignore the last referendum result and hold another referendum until people learn to do as they are told. Then, they intend to go back on their hands and knees and beg the European Commission to let them back in. I think that is a ridiculous idea. 

A separate group think that we should face down the EU, hit the accelerator and head for the exit without any agreement in place. I have some sympathy for that but there would be turbulence at borders which is difficult to predict. More importantly, governments can only really do what they can muster consent for in parliament and many MPs who agree we should respect the decision to leave, would balk at the idea of coming out with no agreement at all. 

In recent weeks, there has been growing momentum behind a possible alternative. If the Prime Minister's deal fails to command a majority, we could opt for a model similar to Norway and Iceland. Under this option we would leave the EU but remain a signatory to the EEA or re-join the looser EFTA group. We would have full control of our farming and our fisheries, free trade with Europe, and our own trade policy with the rest of the world. We would have to align some of our laws with the EU, but we would be an independent country again. 

It was actually Britain that created EFTA in the late 1950's as a rival idea to the EU. Initially we had an alliance of seven countries, including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Portugal and Ireland. The EU only had six members. We made a terrible mistake in 1972 by abandoning what we had created and surrendering our independence to the EU. It was a foreign policy blunder caused by the collapse of national confidence in the aftermath of the empire. Maybe, in the end, we will put right that historic error and pick up where we left off. 

Cornwall College

It was recently announced that Raoul Humphreys, CEO and Principal of Cornwall College would be stepping down from his role. I have always had great respect for Raoul. He has been with the college for many years and always had a forward-thinking outlook. 

The college had a set back and some financial difficulties a couple of years ago after expansion and competition from Truro College. However, Raoul stepped in to take over the top job to shore things up. He had to take some difficult decisions, shedding a lot of staff and dropping courses. What is striking is that despite these tough decisions, he was highly regarded among staff. The way events unfolded, and the intervention of Whitehall officials has been unfair, but the important thing now is to help support the college getting back on its feet and facing the future. 

Cornwall College has a deep-rooted history in our area and has been at the heart of all further and higher education in Cornwall for the last 80 years or so. I was a student at Cornwall College where I learnt how to weld and went on to study for a BTEC in Business and then farm management. It was great to return there again two weeks ago on a Saturday to attend one of their careers sessions. 

The College is a vital local asset delivering work-based learning in our area. There are around 800 apprentices currently training in areas such as plumbing, carpentry and engineering. 

Proposals for a new fibre park in Pool to bring together software companies and training from Cornwall College to create opportunities for local school leavers could take things to the next level. We have the chance to really put Cornwall on the map in this sector. There is a very successful cluster of software companies employing around 500 people in the Pool area. Some are based at the Pool Innovation Centre and some at Barncoose Gateway. Headforwards Software have recently taken some space at Cornwall College which is potentially the first step along the road to developing the fibre park idea. 

The concept behind the fibre park idea is a simple but really effective one. Up and coming enterprises who have outgrown the innovation centre can move to larger premises and they can also establish an academy in computer software co-located on the same site so that you can have a partnership between, say, Cornwall College and local businesses. Young people taking computer courses at Cornwall College will be able to develop their talents within real working environments rather than in a classroom detached from front line innovation. It will take a lot of work to move the idea from being an interesting concept to a real venture, but I think we should give it a shot. 

Despite the recent difficulties and sadness over the departure of Raoul, the staff from Cornwall College who I met two weeks ago remained totally passionate and committed to the work they do to prepare the next generation for the world of work.

Parliament Week

This week marks the beginning of UK Parliament Week, an annual festival that seeks to engage people, from different backgrounds and communities, with the UK Parliament and encourage them to get involved in politics. 

The festival was first started in 2011 with a week-long programme of events and activities organised by the House of Commons and House of Lords in collaboration with organisations including charities, schools, museums and community groups. It was such a success that the organisers decided to continue the festival encouraging more people to become involved in our democracy and politics. 

In 2017, UK Parliament Week reached more than 360,000 people, with over 4,500 events. This year’s UK Parliament Week festival is set to be the largest ever and will see more than 7,000 registered events with over 500,000 people taking part. Participating organisations include Scouts, Girlguiding, and the British Youth Council. There are a number of events taking part across the country with 1056 events planned for the South West of England. 

For this year’s festival, there is also a particular focus on the centenary of the 1918 Representation of The People Act which gave woman the right to vote. Events have taken place in Parliament across the year to commemorate this important act where some women and all men were given the right to vote and which began a greater process of giving more people the right to vote. This is part of the Vote 100 campaign which has done some fantastic work over the year to really celebrate this historic milestone in our country’s history. 

UK Parliament Week is an also a great way of engaging with younger people who often feel that they have little say in the events that transpire around them. Last week the UK Youth Parliament came to Parliament and debated a variety of issues from mental health, to knife crime. It was impressive to see so many young people passionately debate issues that really matter to them. On a personal level, these events bring back memories of the first time I spoke in public. I had just turned 16 and had been bounced into representing Praze Young Farmers in a speaking competition at Lostwithiel. I can remember wondering what I had let myself in for, but I had some excellent coaching from Beatrice Dyer of Camborne School and never looked back. Recently I took the opportunity to answer questions from students covering a number of topics such as school funding. They were challenging questions, but it was great to see young people engaging with these important issues and engaging with democracy. 

Often at times, politics can be challenging, divisive and rather remote from our local communities. UK Parliament Week gives us that opportunity to reset these views and help restore the links between parliament and the people. It is important that people understand how vital their participation is in our democracy, whether that be voting at elections, becoming a councillor or an MP, campaigning on an important issue, or even writing to your MP. Contributions like these are valuable to our democracy and help deliver real change to our local communities. We all have a role in making a democracy successful and I want to congratulate all those who have organised events for this year’s festival and encourage as many people as possible to participate. 

You can find more information about UK Parliament Week at: https://www.ukparliamentweek.org/

Remembrance Day

This Sunday, 11th November 2018, marks the centenary of the end of the First World War and I will be attending a memorial service in Camborne to recognise the sacrifices made by all those who came from the town. There will be many other commemorative events during the course of this year and Remembrance Sunday will have particular poignancy. Remembrance Sunday is always supported by the various Cadet groups, Scouts and Brownies. It is great to see these movements going from strength to strength. 

The period during the First World War was the bleakest period in European history. The scale of killing was horrific. Technology had advanced to make this perhaps the first "industrial war" with the use of chemical weapons, machine guns and powerful artillery but battleground tactics had not evolved to deal with the new realities that modern warfare had brought and there was perhaps a different attitude to human life. 

Britain's Generals are often singled out for criticism although, to be fair, they did try to find new approaches to end the war earlier, from the ill-fated landings at Gallipoli to the invention of a primitive tank. Nevertheless, the scale of sacrifice is apparent through the names listed on memorial stones up and down the land and the war touched every community and virtually every family. I take one of my Christian names from Charles Botterell, my Great Grandfather who fought in the war and suffered ill health as a result of his shrapnel wounds. 

In recent days, 10,000 flames have filled the moat encircling the Tower of London to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. The flames are lit in the moat as a way of remembering those that have gone before us, it’s a powerful and poignant display. Closer to home there has also been a Ribbon of Poppies project set up by the Memorial Mob. As a result of their hard work, Poppies and wildflowers line the route along the A30, to London creating a living, breathing memorial. 

This years’ Remembrance service will be particularly special as in the early morning of 11th November, more than 3,000 bell towers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will ring out with the sound of “half-muffled” bells, like a slow march, in solemn memory of those who lost their lives. Then, at midday, bellringers at each tower across the UK will remove the muffles from the clappers and at about 12.30 they will ring open. Before 1914 the vast majority of bellringers in the UK were male, but the loss of so many men to war meant many more women took up the role. Today there are between 30,000 and 35,000 men and women bellringers in the UK, and still more are being sought for Armistice Day. The aim is that bells sound not just in the UK but across the world. 

The British and German governments are encouraging other countries to ring bells at the same times in the same way, expressing the reconciliation of former enemies in sound. The bells will ring out across the world to replicate the outpouring of relief that took place in 1918, and to mark the peace and friendship that we now enjoy between nations 100 years on from the end of the First World War. 

Taking back control of our waters: A brighter future for the fishing Industry

Cornwall’s fishing industry has always played an important part in our local economy and it has been great to have the opportunity as Fisheries Minister to try and secure a better future for our industry. 

Last week, I launched the Fisheries bill, a bill that will see the UK regain its sovereignty, reinvigorate our coastal communities and enhance the protection of our marine environment. There has long been an historic injustice in the UK’s relationship with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) with quota allocations, and in recent times tensions have boiled over. However, the Fisheries bill addresses these longstanding grievances and puts the industry and environment first. 

I have always been clear, that the UK will continue to be a world leader in promoting sustainable fisheries regardless of our relationship with the EU. We will not allow a free for all and one of the conditions of any future access we grant will be that all vessels fish sustainably and within limits to protect our marine environment. That is why this bill is so important because it sets out what our future relationship will be whilst still maintaining the highest possible standards for our marine life. 

As a sovereign country, we will control access to our own waters by ending current automatic rights for EU vessels to fish in UK waters. In future, access to fish in UK waters will be a matter for the UK to negotiate. The new legislation will also preserve UK vessels’ right to fish across the four zones of UK waters and create a consistent approach to managing any access for foreign vessels provided for in international agreements. 

The bill proposes new powers that will allow the UK to set its own fishing quota and days at sea which will be negotiated as an independent coastal state, in consultation with the Devolved Administrations. Learning the lessons from the CFP, government will have the ability to amend highly technical legislation and respond to scientific advice and innovation quickly. New schemes will also be introduced to help English fishing fleets seize the opportunities of Brexit such as a scheme to help the fishing industry comply with the landing obligation and creating powers to tender additional English quota. 

Finally, we will protect our marine environment by ensuring that management decisions are taken strategically for the benefit of the whole marine environment protecting our seas for generations to come. 

As ever fisheries policy is as much about international relations as it is anything else and always has been. After we leave the EU, there will still be annual discussions and agreements. The difference is that when we leave the EU we will be an independent state and we will conduct those negotiations on our own behalf rather than having to abide by what the European Commission decides. 

We do not yet know the outcome of the UK’s negotiations to withdraw from the EU or on a future economic partnership, but we have been clear that market access for fisheries products is separate to the quotation of fishing opportunities and access to waters. However, we are delivering a bill that sets us on the path to building a sustainable fishing industry, with healthy seas and a fair deal for UK fishermen.

Brexit and the Agricultural Sector

This week I have spent much of my time on debate and discussion about the Agriculture Bill. Two weeks ago it passed its "Second Reading" stage in parliament and this week we started the "Committee Stage" of the Bill where a small group of MPs drawn from all parties to debate the Bill clause by clause. 

Farming policy has been contracted out to the EU for almost half a century and the new Agriculture Bill represents the first substantive piece of UK legislation on agriculture since 1947. Working on the design of the future framework for farm support, and the new schemes that would flow from it has been a very refreshing and liberating exercise for government and parliament. All too often in the past, any good idea or suggestion for improvement was simply ruled "against EU rules" and nothing could be done. If parliament abdicates responsibility for agriculture policy to an external organisation like the EU, then MPs have no motivation to engage in discussion about how to make things better since they have no power to change anything anyway. That is what has sadly happened to farming and fishing over the last forty years. 

Now, as we prepare to leave the EU and take back control, parliament will regain its voice and farmers, food producers and environmental campaigners have an opportunity to get their point across and argue for improvements and influence the policy that will affect them. MPs from all parties are suddenly showing an interest in farming and the countryside because for the first time in half a century they have the power to shape future policy and make a difference. 

The premise behind the Bill that I have put together with colleagues in Defra, is that we should move away from the system of arbitrary area subsidy payment that the EU has imposed on us to instead reward farmers generously for the things they do for the environment and other public goods. The current subsidy system has become a bureaucratic quagmire for farmers and is difficult to administer for government. There are far too many ludicrous rules and mapping requirements so that we measure every gateway, bush or hedge in the land. The EU penalty regime around it is unfair and unjust. The area based subsidy system also means that the vast majority of the money goes to the largest and wealthiest landowners in the country while smaller farmers get the crumbs from the table, so as a system of income support it is upside down. 

Instead, we want a system that rewards farmers to farm their land in a way that is good for the health of their soils, good for the quality of the water courses flowing through their land, good for farmland birds and pollinators and good for enhanced animal welfare outcomes. We also want to reward farmers based on the value of what they deliver, not, as with some EU schemes, simply compensate them for the money they have lost by acting to try to help the environment. 

We recognise that there is a problem of profitability in farming. However, rather than keeping on putting a sticking plaster over that with clunky subsidy payments, the Bill aims to tackle the causes of poor profitability. There are new powers to award grants or loans to farmers to assist them in investing in their farms to reduce costs and improve their profitability; here are powers to support research and development and improved plant breeding; there are new powers to improve transparency in the supply chain so that farmers don't get ripped off by middle men and processors; and there are powers to create mandatory requirements around contracts so that farmers are not stung by hidden charges or penalties or locked into contracts with no clarity or guarantee about the price they will get for what they produce. 

Farming is also a risky business so there are times of crisis where a government must be able to intervene too stabilise the market so the Bill creates such crisis intervention powers. Finally, if we want to move to a very different and more coherent system of farm support, we have to do so in an orderly and gradual way to give farmers time to adjust. We have therefore set out a seven year transition period from 2021 to 2028 during which the old legacy subsidy will be gradually phased out and replaced with the new policy. This will be a period of change where we will simplify and improve the old scheme, introduce measure to help support farmers who want to retire and also make available grants and support for new entrants so that we help the next generation onto the land. 

There will be weeks of argument ahead, but, despite the uncertainty as we enter the closing stages of our negotiation with the EU, our ability to govern ourselves in areas like farming gets stronger by the week.

Carers

We all know someone who is a carer for a loved one. Whether that someone is caring for their parents in old age or whether it is parents caring for a disabled child or, indeed, a child or young person who helps care for one of their parents in cases where they are struck by serious illness. 

There are an estimated 6.5 million in people in the UK providing unpaid care for a loved one, and in Cornwall it is estimated that this figure could be as high as 64,000 unpaid carers. The care they provide is estimated by some groups to be worth the equivalent of £132 billion per year if it needed to be replaced by formal, paid care. 

Moreover, between 2001 and 2015 while the UK’s population increased by 6%, in the same period there was a 16% rise in the number of people providing unpaid care which shows that as our society ages, more people find themselves in caring roles.

Caring for a loved one in need is the most natural calling of all, but I think it is important to ensure that there is support in place to help carers take care of their own wellbeing too. It can become an isolating and all-consuming role. Sometimes a little bit of support such as respite or a small amount of occasional help from a personal assistant or assistance from a friend can make all the difference. 

A few weeks ago, I met some trustees from the Helford River Children's Sailing Trust to discuss a new project they are working on. The idea is to provide holiday accommodation for families who have a disabled child. It's a point often overlooked that having a disabled sibling can also affect opportunities open to other children in the family unit because it limits the activities a family can consider when choosing a holiday. If that can be tackled with specially designed, inclusive facilities offered here in Cornwall, it's a great step forward. 

Last week I met Promas, a local community run company that provides free courses for unpaid carers in Cornwall. The key focus of their work is on helping train carers to be able to deal with the health conditions they are managing and also, crucially, to teach carers how to have regard for their own wellbeing and make time and space for themselves. If a carer cracks under the strain, then no one benefits. The courses are a great way of offering support to carers who can often feel isolated. 

Promas offers a variety of courses covering things like dementia, mental ill health and managing stress and they do a great job of making people feel welcome, important and understanding the difficulties which people experience. 

Another charity I have visited on several occasions is Shared Lives which is an independent charity that provides a range of services for people with additional needs but in a home environment. The central feature of the model is that adults with some special needs join a family and become lodgers in a carers home, rather than being placed in a more formal care setting. It can be a really powerful approach with a homely ethos. 

They have just begun a recruitment drive for more carers to help vulnerable people in Cornwall. The charity has been running for over 15 years and now with an influx of new people needing care they’re calling for more support. If you can help or even if you just want to find out more then do contact Shared Lives South West and they will be happy to provide you with further information. 

Improving accessibility for everyone

Across the UK there are approximately 11 million people with a limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability. The most commonly-reported impairments are those that affect mobility, lifting or carrying. Understandably the prevalence of disability rises with age. Around 6% of children are disabled, compared to 16% of working age adults and 45% of adults over the State Pension Age. 

Recently I was contacted by a local constituent who was blind and was experiencing difficulty with a particular crossing at Pool because there was not a pelican crossing on a difficult four way junction. I met the constituent and agreed to take part in a sensory walk organised by Guide Dogs for the Blind. This is where a blindfold is placed on you and you try and manoeuvre around busy roads and junctions without your sight but with the help of a local volunteer. It certainly helped to understand how seemingly small obstacles to most of us can be a real barrier to those suffering an impairment like blindness. 

In the past we haven’t always designed our streets and towns to be inclusive and accessible, but in the last few decades this has begun to change. The provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act in the late eighties have been a catalyst for improvement. The Council have worked hard to improve the safety of our roads and pavements especially around crossings with the use of tactile paving. Moreover, in our towns and especially with new developments we have seen accessibility improved. This is particularly the case in places like Heartlands where extra work has been carried out to make the buildings accessible and pavements friendlier for all who use them.

Before the summer recess, the International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt MP, became the first minister to use sign language in the Commons. This was to mark the start of a global disability conference that was taking place in London to discuss the global effort to advance disability inclusion not just for those in the UK but also for some countries’ most vulnerable people. 

However, as always, there is still more to do. Further work is being undertaken to help improve the access that vulnerable people have to Changing Places toilets. Over a ¼ million people with more severe disabilities need access to changing places toilets to enable them to get out and about and enjoy the day-to-day activities many of us take for granted. The Changing Places Campaign which launched in 2006 has done fantastic work raising awareness of this issue in recent years and I know that the Government has worked with Changing Places and other charities, to improve the provision of accessible toilets.

In 2007 when the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government became involved, there were only around 140 Changing Places toilets in the UK. By 2017 this number had risen to just over 1000 and guidance on Changing Places was introduced into the Building Regulations in England in 2013. 

In the last ten years we have made progress in improving accessibility for those with disabilities to improve their lives but there is still a long way to go to make society more inclusive.

Party Conference

This week is the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham which marks the end of the conference season. Much like last year, the issue that is looming large is how best to implement our decision to leave the European Union. 

It remains a divisive issue. We are entering a critical phase of the negotiations and they look set to go close to the wire. My view is that we must implement the decision that was taken to leave the EU and take back control but that we should also leave in an orderly way to avoid unnecessary turbulence. That is why, despite the frustrations that many feel, I think Theresa May is right to persevere with these negotiations. We don't yet know whether the apparent stubbornness of the EU is a negotiating tactic or and the only way to find out is to stick to the discussion but prepare for all eventualities. 

However, there have been other issues discussed at the conference that received less attention. In my time as an MP and particularly as a Minister at DEFRA, I have worked to try to improve environmental and animal welfare standards. Michael Gove, in his speech at Conference on Monday reiterated this commitment by vowing to tackle the scourge of plastic in our oceans. At DEFRA we’ve made great strides in tackling the causes of plastic waste that are clogging up the world’s oceans by eliminating micro beads, introducing a new charge on plastic bags and plastic coffee cups as well as a commitment to call for 30% of the world’s oceans to be protected by 2030. There’s clearly much more to do but we’ve taken some big steps forward. 

Opportunity for the next generation was another important theme this year. In education we have also seen improvements in recent years. There has been a substantial growth in the proportion of good and outstanding schools over the past 8 years with the proportion of outstanding schools increasing from 18% in August 2010 to 21% by March 2018. The proportion of good schools also increased, from 50% to 65%. Our Academies and Free Schools programme has also been a success with 42 out of the 158 free schools inspected to the end of 2014/15 as outstanding. Not only are these improvements testament to the hard work of teachers throughout the education system, they are also illustrative of the fact that more children have access to a good or outstanding school offering a better standard of education than they did 8 years ago. 

One of the biggest successes of the last eight years has been the astonishing turnaround in the job market. Britain is working again. Eight years after Labour left office, the unemployment rate is the lowest since the early 1970s and levels of employment are at an all-time high. In Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, unemployment is now significantly below the national average with the total number of unemployed claimants for June 2018 totalling 840. 

With the conference season over, parliament returns next week and the first task on my desk is the introduction of the first major Agriculture Bill since 1947 as we redesign policy on food, farming and the environment.

Scallops

Last week, we finally reached an agreement with the French over the contentious issue of the scallop fishing grounds in the Bay of Seine following weeks of tension and long negotiations.

Scallops are not subject to tonnage quotas in the way that, say, cod and haddock are. Instead there is a limitation on the days at sea that larger vessels over 15 metres long can spend fishing for scallops.  Smaller vessels under 15 metres are not subject to these effort restrictions. There has long been a disparity between the amount of days at sea that the UK and French fleets have access to. The French fleet have access to around double the effort allocation than the UK fleet under the so called "Western Waters Regime" because of the methodology used to distribute allocations when the system was established. It is a familiar story with the Common Fisheries Policy and we see it on many different stocks where we don't really get a fair share of fishing opportunities.

Some years ago, the French authorities put in place a long-closed season on their fleet for fishing for scallops in the Bay of Seine, partly to protect the stock during the spawning season early in the summer but partly to maximise the economic value of scallops since the market in France is much stronger later in the autumn. However, those restrictions are a national measure so do not apply to fleets from other countries like the UK and Ireland. The contested grounds are around 18-20 miles off the French coast, so they are not even in French territorial waters and other countries have a legal right to fish there.

The genesis of the clashes this summer was the collapse of a long standing voluntary agreement between the French and UK fleets. Since 2012, a deal has been in place. The French industry agreed to give 10 percent of their effort allocation to the over 15 metre UK fleet and in return, the over 15 metre UK vessels agreed not to fish in the Bay of Seine area during the closed season that the French observed. It was a sensible and pragmatic agreement. The French fleet have more effort allocation than they need or use and by transferring that to the UK fleet, the closure in their main fishing ground was observed voluntarily.

The deal collapsed this year because the French fleet insisted that the closure also apply to smaller under 15 metre vessels as well as the larger ones. This was not something that the UK industry was able to deliver since the Under 15 metre fleet did not need nor therefore benefit from any transfer.  The small vessels only account for about 6 percent of the catch. As a result of this impasse, the whole agreement fell through and the UK fleet therefore resumed fishing in the contested grounds leading to the skirmishes at the end of August.

There were a number of attempts to get the negotiations back on track. I had numerous discussions with Stephane Travert, my French counterpart to try to identify a way forward. We then hosted a round of negotiations in London followed by a second round in Paris. In the end, finding a way to make a deal work that would bind the smaller vessels proved too difficult. It would have required quota on other fish stocks to be swapped and then leased to try to raise a financial compensation package and that is always a harder and less certain deal to bank. By this time of the year, the weather starts to deteriorate so the value of unused quota can become less certain.

However, we got there in the end. An agreement was put back together for the over 15 metre vessels that is similar to the one that has been done in previous years. It means that the larger vessels will abide by the closure and in return will have the transfer of days at sea so that when the fishery does open they have the ability to fish. I always maintained that it was better for all sides to stand back up the conventional agreement that has stood the test of time than to have no agreement at all.

A number of commentators have inevitably attempted to link this dispute to Brexit.  However, it is an entirely unrelated episode. There was a similar dispute six years ago that led to the previous agreement. I have always said that, whether we are in or out of the EU, we will still negotiate with our neighbours and agree shared approaches on shared stocks, just as we do with Norway and the Faroes now. Fisheries policy is as much about international relations as it is anything else and always has been. After we leave the EU, there will still be annual discussions and agreements. The difference is that when we leave the EU we will be an independent state and we will conduct those negotiations on our own behalf rather than having to abide by what the European Commission decides.

Securing a brighter, better, greener future

Last week I introduced a new Agriculture Bill in parliament which will be debated later this autumn. Leaving the EU means that we have the chance to design the first independent agriculture policy for almost half a century. The last time we introduced such a wide-ranging Bill was in 1947. 

The current CAP accounts for almost 40 percent of the EU budget, and its influence is all pervasive. Some 80 percent of legislation affecting DEFRA comes directly from the EU and it is stifling. EU rules frequently make trying to do the simplest of things complicated and often impossible. The UK has argued for change over many years but the system has remained quite dysfunctional. Trying to design a one size fits all policy for twenty-eight different countries all with very different landscapes and agricultural structures has never made much sense. 

For far too long, our farmers have been held back by the stifling rules and often perverse incentives of the CAP. The lion’s share of money has been allocated based on the size of individual land holdings, not the contribution farmers make to society. These payments are skewed towards the largest landowners and are not linked to any specific public benefits. The top 10% of recipients currently receive almost 50% of total payments, while the bottom 20% receive just 2%. 

The new Agriculture Bill which I introduced last week marks a decisive shift in policy. We can now begin to reward farmers properly at last for the work they do to enhance the environment around us. We can now better appreciate the value farmers bring as food producers. It will help grow more high-quality food in a more sustainable way – and it will ensure public money is spent more efficiently and effectively. 

At the centre of the Government’s proposal is a new system that pays public money for public goods – those goods from which we all benefit but the market alone does not provide. The Bill will allow us to devote public money to enriching wildlife habitats, preventing flooding, improving the quality of air, soil and peat, raising standards of animal welfare and planting trees to help manage and mitigate the effects of climate change. 

A new Environmental Land Management system will be developed over the next few months and years and will be rolled out from 2021. The government will work together with farmers to design, develop and trial the new approach. Under the new system, farmers and land managers who provide the greatest environmental benefits will secure the largest rewards. 

We are also introducing new powers to improve fairness and transparency in the supply chain so that farmers can get a fairer share of the value of the food they produce. If farmers received a fairer share of the price their food sells for they wouldn't need subsidy. Finally, we are making provision to award Grant and investment to farms to help them reduce costs and improve their profitability. 

Despite all the arguments about Brexit, working on future policy with the freedom to innovate and think things through from first principles has been incredibly liberating for a department like Defra which had had to shoulder so much of the burden of EU membership over decades.

Cornwall’s Pasty and Mining Heritage

Last weekend I attended the annual Pasty Festival in Redruth, where we celebrated the international home of the Cornish Pasty. Luckily the weather remained warm and sunny and it was great to see a large number of people at the event. 

The Cornish pasty is recognised across the world. When Cornish miners fanned out across the world, they took the pasty with them. I remember a former colleague from Australia telling me about the Cornish festivals that used to take place in the town where he grew up. We have also developed great links with Real Del Monte in Mexico. I have met representatives of the town on several occasions, including local pasty makers. Hundreds of Cornish miners ended their lives in the area and many are to be found in one of the local cemeteries, apparently facing home to Cornwall which was a common request at the time. 

Today the Cornish heritage is evident in some of their architecture and in their love of pasties (or pastes). Last Saturday, like many others, joined in the festivities and made a pasty of my own. Apparently, my attempt was not bad for a beginner and my pasty actually looked like a pasty you would buy from the shop! 

When I first became an MP, the Government announced that it would put VAT on freshly baked pasties. The traditional exemption from VAT was what civil servants described as an “anomaly”. Along with my fellow Cornish MPs, I battled to ensure this didn’t happen. Thankfully, common sense prevailed. It was partly this debacle that led to the idea of a pasty festival in Redruth. 

Last week I also visited Moseley Museum at Tumblydown Farm in redruth. They have a really good museum at the Farm that showcases Cornwall’s mining heritage and has a variety of attractions for both children and grownups alike. From model train layouts, to exhibits about the mining experience, outdoor train rides and even a tea room, there is plenty for all the family to do. 

Cornwall has a unique culture and an industrial heritage to be proud of, with Redruth playing a particularly important role as one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution and as the centre of the Cornish diaspora across the world. In its prime, Redruth was at the heart of the tin mining industry and there were many feats of engineering developed in Cornwall at that time. 

After the decline in the fortunes of tin mining in the late nineteenth century, there was a huge exodus to the new world with Cornish tin miners founding the industry in Australia, California, South Africa, South America and Mexico. As a result, today there are some six to eight million people making up a worldwide Cornish diaspora and the vast majority of them can trace their family roots back to Redruth. 

Across Cornwall we are lucky to have a number of reminders that point us back towards our heritage. From our mining heritage commemorated at the new Redruth Town Archives to our pasties and international connections. In such a fast moving world it is often refreshing to be able to pause for a moment and remember all that has gone before us.