Newspaper column 28 February 2024 - The Speaker and Lee Anderson

The conduct of the Speaker during the SNP’s Opposition Day Motion on Gaza was very much in the spotlight last week, prompting a large number of constituents to contact me expressing concerns about what they saw as a worrying break from longstanding parliamentary convention.

I was in the Commons on Wednesday evening when proceedings descended into chaos – due to the Speaker’s mishandling of Labour’s amendment to the SNP’s Opposition Day Motion, allowing Labour to hijack what should have been another party’s motion. By convention and as confirmed by a letter to him from the Clerk of the House of Commons, the Speaker should have selected the SNP motion for a vote before proceeding to allow a vote on any amendments.

Instead, the Speaker unilaterally decided, against the clear advice of his own officials, that MPs would first vote on Labour’s amendment to the SNP motion – following reports of an imminent rebellion among Labour MPs and alleged threats from Labour on the Speaker to replace him after the general election unless he selected their amendment for a vote.

Crucially, in his statement apologising to the House later that evening, the Speaker said his decision was primarily motivated by violent threats made against MPs.

This for me is the fundamental reason why I no longer have confidence in his role as Speaker: He has given a very clear message that threats of violence and abuse against MPs can change what happens in Parliament.

As legislators, we need to be free and able to speak our minds in Parliament without fear or favour. This is vital to our ability to represent our constituents effectively. Instead, the Speaker told the baying mob that you can threaten an MP and change how Parliament works. I am afraid this simply is not acceptable in our democracy.

I have therefore signed a motion expressing no confidence in the Speaker. Heeither succumbed to pressure to assist the Labour Party or given into threats of violence – indeed I believe it was likely a combination of the two – neither of which represents a valid reason to alter longstanding parliamentary protocol in such a drastic way to undermine our democracy.

I also believe Sir Keir Starmer has much to answer for due to his alleged part in influencing the Speaker, and I hope he will be giving a full account of his actions to the House this week.

The withdrawal of the whip from Lee Anderson MP over the weekend also captured the attention of some constituents. Lee was wrong to accuse Sadiq Khan and the senior Labour leadership of being under the control of Islamists without offering any evidence to support his claim.

In doing so he missed a far more important point, which is the left’s apparent tolerance and in some cases encouragement of extreme elements of all backgrounds taking to the streets to openly call for the abuse and intimidation of our democracy while causing illegal disruption to the public.

These groups include Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, and a number of pro-Palestinian marches in London of late, some of which were hijacked by militant Islamists expressing support for the actions of Hamas and calling for the destruction of the state of Israel, including projecting the antisemitic and arguably genocidal slogan “from the river to the sea” on to the side of Big Ben. The Speaker cited security threats posed by these violent extremists to MPs as the reason behind his decision to change Commons procedures on Wednesday.

No MP deserves to be intimated or harassed in the course of their work. In recent days many of my colleagues from both sides of the House have spoken bravely and openly about receiving death threats to them and their families as becoming part of the norm of working in Parliament. Last week also saw several so-called protestors affiliated with Greenpeace charged with criminal damage following their attempt to illegally invade the Prime Minister’s home in North Yorkshire in August.

Let me be very clear, I support the right to peaceful protest. This is why I supported legislation introducing by the Government enshrining the right to peaceful protest in statute, while bringing forward measures to protect the public from illegal and violent protests.

Emotions often run high in politics and people rightly want to have their say on important matters facing the country and the world. But there is a growing sense that a small but significant minority are trying to subvert the democratic process through violent means. This cannot be condoned and I will continue to call for our hard-won democracy to be protected in Parliament.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

 

Newspaper column 21 February 2024 - New powers to control holiday lets

This Monday saw the announcement by Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove of new regulations and powers for councils to better control holiday lets.

The uncontrolled spread of holiday lets is a big issue in Cornwall, and has undoubtedly contributed towards the significant housing issues we are seeing in the Duchy, with many homes that could house local families instead occupied for only weeks or even days per year by holiday makers.

While tourism and hospitality are vital parts of our economy in Mid-Cornwall, both for those who work in tourism and hospitality businesses, and also those who supply them, there has to be a balance to this, and in recent years some communities have experienced this tipping too far in towards second homes and short term holiday let accommodation, meaning local people who would otherwise live and work in these towns and villages all year round are finding it increasingly difficult to do so.

The figures on this are stark, and in a debate in Parliament last year, I spoke about the numbers of short-term holiday let accommodation listings on Airbnb and the like in Cornwall (18,989) compared to long term rent listings on Rightmove (895), clear evidence of the scale of the problem we are facing.

Better controlling the number of holiday lets and second homes by regulation and addressing the imbalance of holiday lets in the communities most impacted by them has been a goal of mine for many years, and is something I have successfully campaigned on, leading the Government to include measures in the Levelling Up Act, which became law last year. This includes measure such as closing the business rates loophole, which allowed some holiday let owners to get away with paying neither domestic rates or business rates, and also charging double council tax to second home owners, something which Cornwall Council will be able to do from 2025.

As well as this, the Government consulted on measures to set up a register of holiday lets, and on introducing a requirement for property owners who want to change their properties to holiday lets to have to apply for planning permission under change of use. On Monday the Secretary of State confirmed that the Government will be adopting both of these proposals.

Under the reforms councils like Cornwall Council will be given greater power to control short-term lets by making them subject to the planning process. This will support local people in areas where high numbers of short-term lets are preventing them from finding housing they can afford to buy or to rent. This will apply to many of our rural and coastal communities in Cornwall.

Meanwhile, a new mandatory national register will give local authorities the information they need about short-term lets in their area. This will help councils understand the extent of short-term lets in their area, the effects on their communities, and underpin compliance with key health and safety regulations.

It is good to see the Government now taking decisive action to make these changes, which will allow councils to see the scale of the problem via the mandatory register, and then better manage the number of holiday lets in tourist areas through the planning system . This will allow councils to have the ultimate say on the numbers of holiday lets in the communities most affected. I look forward to seeing these changes brought in by Cornwall Council and used for the good of Cornish communities.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 14 February 2024 - Dental Plan!

Parliament has risen for February Recess which means that this week I am working in Cornwall and look forward to being out and about speaking to as many people as possible about my work and your priorities for me as your MP.

I am currently running a survey on your priorities for 2024, which readers are very welcome to fill out – you can find this on my website via the link below:

https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/st-austell-and-newquay-constituency-2024-priorities-survey

Last week was a really busy and varied one, and I was pleased to welcome two Ministers and the Prime Minister to our constituency to discuss a variety of issues, including apprenticeships, flooding, and, with the Prime Minister the launch of the Government’s NHS Dental Recovery Plan.

Access to NHS dentist services continues to be one of the issues raised with me most often by local people and this is something I have spent considerable time collecting evidence on and lobbying the Government for change.

The Prime Minister has listened, and last week the Government launched the NHS Dental Recovery Plan, which will create 2.5 million more NHS dental appointments over the next year.

This will have a big impact on the delivery and availability of NHS dental services in Cornwall. For example, the practice the Prime Minister visited, Gentle Dental, does treat NHS patients, some of whom I met last week, but is currently not taking new adult NHS patients, only children, due to lack of capacity, hence making waiting lists much longer – an issue we see throughout Cornwall. The changes and funding announced via the NHS Dental Recovery Plan will enable dentists to take new NHS patients on, reducing the waiting lists and making NHS dental treatments more widely available for all.

Backed by £200 million of new Government funding, the NHS Dental Recovery Plan sets out a package of measures to deliver 2.5 million additional NHS dental appointments over the next 12 months, ensuring they are where they needed most, and expanding preventative care for younger children to help reduce tooth decay.

To help improve access in the short term, new dental vans are being launched to help reach more isolated communities, including in rural and coastal areas. In the longer term, around 240 dentists will be offered one-off payments of up to £20,000 for working in under-served areas for up to three years, helping to attract new NHS dentists and improve provision of care in areas with the highest demand.

Further measures include introducing a New Patient Premium payment to incentivise dentists to treat around a million new patients who have not seen an NHS dentist in two years or more. The scheme will be introduced within weeks, ensuring that patients can benefit immediately. The minimum value of activity will also increase from £23 to £28 and high-performing practices will also be able to deliver extra work on top of their contracted activity, ensuring that NHS work is more attractive to dental teams.

Trainee dental places will be expanded by 40 per cent as part of the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, as the Government looks to target the expansion into areas of the country  such as Cornwall which are underserved by the dental workforce.

Expanded prevention care is also being rolled out for younger children to help reduce tooth decay and improve the nation’s oral health. The Smile for Life programme will offer parents-to-be further advice for baby gums and milk teeth with babies and toddlers in nurseries having tooth brushing as part of the daily routine, so that every child in primary school will see tooth brushing as a normal part of their day.

The Government will consult on wider reforms to the dental workforce and contract in 2024, taking the long-term decisions to ensure that dental services can be there for families for the years to come.

There is more to do and I will continue to push for further reform in order to ensure residents of Cornwall are able to access NHS dentists wherever they live, but in the meantime these steps will help in improving the access we currently have, and as ever, as your MP it is good to be able to highlight these concerns and push for the change that we need with the Prime Minister when he visited Cornwall.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk

Newspaper column 7 February 2024 - National Apprenticeship Week

This week is National Apprenticeship Week, an opportunity for the education and skills sector to celebrate the achievements of apprentices around the country and the positive impact they make to communities, businesses, and the wider economy.

Over 70 per cent of careers are now accessible via an apprenticeship and the Government has delivered over 5.7 million apprenticeships since 2010. I am a big supporter of the apprenticeship qualification as a way to earn while you learn – getting the real and practical skills that let people start their careers getting real experience in the field they want to work in while getting paid. I have employed two apprentices myself during my time as MP and have seen firsthand the positives this qualification brings to those who take it.

On Monday this week I was delighted to welcome Robert Halfon MP Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education to the Eden Project to celebrate the start of National Apprenticeship Week. The Minister visited Eden to discuss their unique apprenticeship programme and meet with Horticulture, Arboriculture and Sustainability apprentices.

It was also good to meet with the Minister and the Head of Cornwall College to discuss their plans for their new St Austell Campus, after I worked with the college to secure the millions of pounds of funding required to do so. Colleges throughout Cornwall offer excellent apprenticeship schemes, particularly Cornwall College, which is specialising as a ‘Careers College’, specialising in apprenticeships.

The Cornwall College Group, which includes campuses in both St Austell and Newquay, as well as elsewhere in the Duchy, is the top-performing college for apprenticeships in the South West, 11.8% above the National Average, and as such is one of the leading providers of apprenticeships in the UK.

It was great to discuss their current success and plans for the future with the Minister and I hope that some of Cornwall College’s great ideas for the future can be used to inspire best practice around the country.

You can find out more about apprenticeships available through Cornwall College via their website: https://www.cornwall.ac.uk/apprenticeships/

Up in Parliament on Wednesday, at the time of writing, I am scheduled to be speaking at the Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase.

 As the former Chair of the Hospitality and Tourism All Party Parliamentary Group I am particularly keen to work with this sector, and given how important it is to Cornwall, ensure that working in this area is a stable career prospect for people of all ages and those within all social groups.

The hospitality sector is the country’s third biggest employer, employing over 3.5million people and I am looking forward to bringing a Cornish perspective to the event, and speaking to some of the 200 apprentices from employers from across the country will be there showcasing their skills.

Over my time as MP the apprenticeship qualification and the Government’s work to promote and expand it has been a real success story both in Cornwall and nationally. I will continue to work to ensure apprentices, employers and providers like Cornwall College are all given as much support as possible to ensure this continues.

As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk