Campaign response – Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill

Constituents concerned about reports that peers will be tabling amendments to the Civil Partnerships Bill to compel churches to carry out same sex weddings have got in touch to ask if I would voice my opposition against these proposals.

An attempt to remove the exemption of the Church of England from same-sex marriage in churches was made in the House of Lords earlier this month.

Lord Faulkner, a Labour peer, attempted to remove the exemption for members of the clergy to solemnise the marriage of a same-sex couple

However, following an indication from the Government that it will not support the amendment, Lord Faulkner withdrew his amendment.

Baroness Williams, Minister for Equalities, said that it was “not for the Government to mandate this through regulations”.

The Government rightly recognises that a wider debate about the nature of marriage is going on right across society and indeed within the Church.

The bill is due to receive its report stage in the House of Lords in March and I am aware that Lord Faulkner has said that he will table his amendment again then.

While as an Member of Parliament who sit in the Commons I cannot influence the proceedings in the other chamber, I will be monitoring the bill’s progress closely and will not hold back on making my views known whenever it is necessary to do so.

Campaign reply - “Now is the time to enact what the country called for in the largest democratic vote taken by the people,”

Following a campaign email entitled “Now is the time to enact what the country called for in the largest democratic vote taken by the people,” I take this opportunity to again reiterate my abiding focus on honouring the result of the referendum with a meaningful Brexit.

Article 50 clearly sets out that in the event of no deal being reached then we leave on WTO terms. Whilst that option will present challenges in the short term I firmly believe that it is a viable and appropriate way forward.

An examination of my voting record will amply demonstrate my commitment to honouring the result of the referendum.

In the PM’s recent statement in the House she set out a timetable of votes. There is now the very real and looming prospect of seeing the no deal scenario voted down. This is a disastrous in my view and I will never support a vote to take if off the table.

An extension to leaving has also now emerged and again I will not support such a move unless it is specifically to allow for the implementation of a likely deal. Never for more negotiations.   If an amended deal emerges that gets us out with us then free to negotiate further once gone, then it will need consideration in view of the options on offer..

Thank you also to the countless thousands who have written to me, telephoned or stopped me in the constituency urging me on to do my part in seeing us successfully leave the EU. You have been heard and I am on the case.

Campaign reply Tuesday 26 February - Please call for an end to the 5 week wait for Universal Credit

A number of constituents have contacted as me as part of a campaign asking me to attend the estimates debate on 26 February and call for an end to the 5 week wait for Universal Credit.

I was unable to attend this debate on 26 February due to prior commitments elsewhere in Parliament.

In terms of Universal Credit, I did support calls for changes to the advance payment system when you first make a claim. I was pleased to see the Government subsequently change the benefit to allow claimants who need it claim a 100% advance payment.

I believe this was a good step in making claiming this benefit easier to claim, and also one that negates the five week wait when used. As such I do not support calls to remove the waiting period for this benefit.

I continue to feedback concerns raised with me by constituents and take feedback from local DWP staff which I raise with Ministerial colleagues where appropriate.

Newspaper column 27 February 2019 - My visit to the Falklands

Last week I had the huge privilege of visiting the Falkland Islands to visit our armed forces there.

My visit was as part of a cross-party delegation of MPs from the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS). The visit was planned many months ago and I was pleased to be able to still go despite the Parliamentary recess being cancelled.

The Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme is a programme to give Members of Parliament and peers in the United Kingdom experience of the armed forces. Its aim is to improve the quality of debate on military issues, and it does this by exposing its members to first-hand experience of the services.

This was an amazing experience. The Falkland Islands are so remote yet so beautiful and remain one of the most unspoilt places in the world. The Falkland Islands have a population of just over 3,000 and the main industries include fishing, tourism and farming, so in some respects, there are familiarities with Cornwall.

Life on the Falklands is a challenge but it is equally an amazing place to be. It was also very moving to learn more about the 1982 war and retrace the steps of some of our troops. The stories of courage and commitment are truly inspiring.

We continue to maintain a military presence in and around the Falklands and as such there is a significant amount of defence funding in this area. I was pleased to meet with a number of personnel from around the various military installations for an update on their important work safeguarding our territory and the people who live and work there. Additionally our presence is of wider strategic significance as the islands form the Atlantic gateway to Antarctica. 

One thing that was a real surprise was finding people from Cornwall, seemingly everywhere I went. It’s been said in the past that you can look down a hole anywhere in the world and find a Cornishman there, and this theory seems to have been updated to include finding fellow Cornishmen and women on these small and remote islands too.

In particular I met a navigator on HMS Clyde who lives in Newquay and the Harbour Master for the military port who comes from Fowey. It was good to catch up with them and have some familiar topics to talk about even that far away from home.

It was also a surprise to find the Cornish Coat of Arms on the wall in the Governor’s House. Apparently there are strong links between Cornwall and the Falklands which I am interested to discover more about. Indeed, in recent years the principal counsel for the Falkland Islands Government has actually come over for a prolonged job swap with an equivalent legal officer from Cornwall Council in 2012, something which I am sure was a real eye opener for both people! I also learned that a former Governor of the islands also lives in our constituency.

One notable thing I discovered about the Falkland Islands is the lack of internet and phone connectivity – things we take for granted in the UK. On my return it has been good to catch up on the interesting developments from last week regarding Brexit and MPs leaving the political parties they were elected under to join the so-called Independent Group. This is something I will probably touch on in a future column but for now I am pleased to back in the UK, recovering from my 19 hour flight and continuing to represent you as your strong Cornish voice in Westminster.

My team and I are here to serve the whole constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone needing support. The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm (no appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my assistance on then please, either visit the office or contact me on either 01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular, appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events

Campaign response – Brexit Citizens Rights

Recently a number of constituents currently living in Europe have written to me to ask if I would support the 'Costa Amendment' to ring-fence the rights of millions of UK citizens living in the EU.

Many of my parliamentary colleagues will be voting for Alberto Costa MP’s amendment if and when it is put before the House of Commons this week, and I too will be supporting the amendment.

The amendment that I will be supporting will ask the Prime Minister to “seek at the earliest opportunity a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt part two of the withdrawal agreement on citizens rights and ensure its implementation prior to the UK’s exiting the European Union, whatever the outcome of negotiations on other aspects of the withdrawal agreement”.

In Parliament I have consistently spoken up in favour of citizens rights being safeguarded, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. I have been encouraged by the clear commitment made by the Conservative government to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, even if we leave without a deal.

The UK Government has been clear that it will safeguard rights of over 3 million EU Citizens living in the UK.  Even if there is no deal, changes to the Immigration Rules laid before Parliament in July mean that EU citizens will be able to remain through the Settled Status Scheme.

In light of this offer of goodwill to all EU citizens living in the UK, it is disappointing the EU-27 have yet to publish any concrete plans to retain the rights of British citizens living on the continent post-Brexit. I have asked government ministers to give the public greater clarity on what they are doing to ensure that EU leaders can agree on reciprocal arrangements for UK citizens living in the EU, and will continue to do so.

The existing EU plan for citizens rights under no-deal is unsatisfactory. It relies on the argument that the rights issue falls under immigration policy, which is left at the level of the nation state. So instead of coming up with centralised plans, they'll simply instruct countries to regularise the status of Brits in their territory, with little control over how - or if - that will be pursued.

With little time left until our departure from the EU, should we leave without a deal (which is the current default legal position) officials in Brussels will need to be working on a citizen's rights treaty now, if it has any chance of being ratified and implemented before the end of March.

The Costa amendment, when voted through, will give the Prime Minister a clear mandate to go back to Brussels and ask the EU to seek a new mandate for a bloc-wide deal on citizens rights.

Campaign reply - “Brexit and a people’s vote”.

A number of you have written to me with a campaign email entitled “Brexit and a people’s vote”.

Negotiations with the EU have proven (again) by their intransigence  why it is essential we leave the EU and honour the democratic wishes of the majority and regain control of our own country. It is also important to note that the Conservative party is not “wasting time by asking…” the EU for anything. It is not negotiating with the EU and not understanding this rudimentary point throws doubt over the validity and grasp of all other points raised.

No deal has been agreed and yet the email says it has! Therefore the comments that flow from that are spurious because of the false premise.

The “strong democratic case” we have for leaving the EU was secured when the referendum was held with the overwhelming majority in the constituency voting to leave. Seeking to rerun it because we don’t like the result is directly against the democratic values we should all cherish.

Whilst the Labour Party has now reneged  on its manifesto pledge to honour the result of the referendum with a motion to have a second referendum, the motivation behind this confused and volatile position is all about the internal politics of the Labour parliamentary party – nothing else. It is something I will never countenance should it come to a vote in the house, not least because it is a direct assault on the democratic wishes of the majority.

On the government benches there are Ministers who posture they might resign. Whatever else is in flux I am clear: I made promises during the referendum campaign. I reiterated them during the election campaign and stood on a manifesto that promised to honour the result of the referendum. I will not be diverted.

Campaign reply - ‘Can you help us get faster treatment for pancreatic cancer?’

A number of constituents have contacted me as part of the campaign ‘Can you help us get faster treatment for pancreatic cancer?’

As someone who lost my own mum to cancer I am fully aware of the impact this terrible disease has on millions of people and their families.

I support Pancreatic Cancer UK’s demand for faster treatment, so that by 2024 all pancreatic cancer patients are treated within 20 days of diagnosis.

I will be raising this with Ministerial colleagues in Parliament and asking them to commit to a 20-day treatment goal.