Update - 26th October
I am delighted that the new Prime Minister will be reversing last week’s vote and we will revert to our manifesto commitment. Much of the nuance of life at Westminster never makes the front pages, so much is achieved quietly behind the scenes. All the public see is the vote, yet last week’s fracking vote was instrumental in the arrival of our new Prime Minister who is already delivering greater economic and environmental stability.
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Last night in Westminster saw extraordinary chaos outside voting lobbies, as has been widely reported. We were advised early in the day that the Opposition had laid a motion to take over the Order Paper next week – what that means is that they were tabling their own legislation. Whichever party is in power, they never allow the opposition to take over the Order Paper, and it was for that reason I voted with the Government yesterday.
The topic chosen by the Opposition was fracking and I want to clarify my own position. I stood on a manifesto of a moratorium on fracking unless there was a change in the science confirming its safety. I have seen no change in the science, however, we are in an energy security crisis driven by Putin’s war in Ukraine. If there are pockets of shale gas, that can be extracted safely, with local community support then I may be persuaded, due to the energy situation, that this should be pursued. We have no pockets of shale gas in North Devon, and no sites to be explored, if we had, despite my loyalty to the party I may have voted differently, and would have reached out to local constituents in advance to assess their views.
Whilst Westminster has made the news for all the wrong reasons this week, behind the scenes, as your MP I have been working on the projects I do know are important to North Devon. Officials and civil servants remain in situ, even with a change of Prime Minister. As Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Broadband and Digital Communications I met with the new Secretary of State for the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), alongside Building Digital UK (BDUK) who I have met before to further detail how the national rollout of ultrafast broadband can be accelerated based on the experiences here in Devon with overfibring, unwanted poles, and excessive digging up of our roads.
I met with the new Environment Secretary to relay the concerns of residents about a perceived change in direction on our environmental policy. I received assurances this was simply not the case and that we and deliver economic growth alongside our environmental commitments. I met the new Housing Minister with other Devon and Cornwall MPs to detail our ongoing concerns with the increase in short term holiday lets post pandemic, and again detail potential solutions. I met the new Levelling Up minister to lobby for our own Levelling Up bid in Ilfracombe.
People ask why I ask questions in the Chamber, I ask many behind the scenes, and if not getting the answers I may ask publicly and it also reiterates the importance of the issue. Reports had suggested The Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) may reverse the minimum size for including affordable homes from 9 to 40+. I asked in the Chamber, and got a vague response, yet 48 hours later, the Secretary of State assured me having checked with the officials, they have reviewed, but it is not going to be pursued, which is great news for including affordable homes in any small, rural developments.
In all the drama of the week, the situation with pensions has been somewhat overlooked. I sit on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and have been speaking with ministers behind the scenes about the ongoing issues of by what benefits and pensions will rise. I was with the Secretary of State for DWP this week explaining the importance of retaining our commitment to the Triple Lock, and am delighted this has been confirmed as I know how important this is to so many families in North Devon.
Alongside my work on the Celtic Sea FLOW which will deliver jobs into North Devon as well as right across Devon, Cornwall and South Wales. The APPG has been instrumental in driving this agenda forward and I have spoken out many times, as well as launch the REGEN report ‘Go West!’ on expanding offshore wind around the UK.
And whilst the voting chaos unfolded, I was hosting a reception for the Sustainable Homes Coalition to support their report 'Home is where the Heat is' with major businesses seeking to find urgent solutions to retrofit homes and improve the energy efficiency for both our pursuit of net zero, alongside cost of living concerns.
There are indeed issues at Westminster that need urgent resolution, but I continue to work on the projects I know are important to the people of North Devon who elected me to be here.
Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon
