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Meeting pupils at Esher High.
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With the Coronavirus restrictions easing, it’s been great to get back to visiting local schools this month. I’m grateful to the pupils at Chandlers Field, Parkside School, and Esher High for their enthusiasm and excellent questions about politics. The pandemic has been very tough for schools, so these visits were also good opportunities to thank the teachers for all the hard work they’ve been putting in.
Elsewhere this month:
- Sandown Park was protected from Green Belt development, after the Communities Secretary upheld Elmbridge Borough Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for significant building work on the site.
- We passed a key milestone in the local vaccination programme, passing 100,000 vaccinations administered to Elmbridge residents early in the month.
- I heard from the brilliant team at Citizens Advice Esher & District about the pressing issues they’re seeing locally at the moment, and volunteered with East Elmbridge Foodbank.
- I caught up with Karen Sugarman from Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, discussing the challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic and how they’ve adapted.
Finally, at the beginning of this month we had a good set of results in the local elections. Conservative candidates won seven out of nine Elmbridge divisions in the Surrey County Council elections, while winning six seats and losing one on Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC). While the Conservatives are the largest party on EBC and won the largest vote share, the Residents Associations and Liberal Democrats have again formed a coalition to run the council.
In the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election, I was delighted that Lisa Townsend was elected as Surrey’s new PCC. She will bring great energy, tenacity and integrity to the role, and I look forward to working with her to address local priorities like burglaries and anti-social behaviour in Elmbridge.
Congratulations to Lisa, and to all the successful candidates in the borough and county elections.
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Elmbridge vaccination update:
83,757 residents have received 1 dose
50,295 residents have received 2 doses
(As of 26 May)
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At the meeting of G7 Foreign and Development Ministers in London. (Photo credit - Number 10 Flickr account, under a Creative Commons license)
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In my role as Foreign Secretary this month, my major focus has been on the conflict in Israel and Gaza. Following the welcome ceasefire, I travelled to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories for talks with senior leaders.
It is crucial that all sides now focus on ensuring that the ceasefire can last. The events of the last month demonstrate the urgent need to make genuine progress towards a more positive future for both Israelis and Palestinians, and break the cycle of violence that has claimed so many lives. The UK supports a two-state solution as the best way to deliver a lasting peace.
Elsewhere this month:
- As part of the UK’s Presidency of the G7, I hosted a meeting of G7 Foreign and Development Ministers, as well as guests from the Indo-Pacific region and Africa. The G7 countries agreed measures to tackle the biggest geopolitical threats, safeguard democracy, and support a sustainable recovery from the pandemic.
- I worked with the Transport Secretary to issue a notice to advise all UK airlines to cease overflights of Belarusian airspace. Belavia, the Belarusian airline, has also had its operating permit to fly between the UK and Belarus suspended, and Belarusian airlines will be prevented from entering UK airspace unless specifically authorised. These measures are in response to the Belarusian authorities’ reckless actions in diverting a passenger flight in order to arrest an opposition journalist.
- It’s good news that the government has agreed that Radovan Karadžić, responsible for the Srebrenica genocide, will be transferred to a UK prison to serve the rest of his sentence. This was done under a treaty I negotiated with the UN 17 years ago, and demonstrates what we mean by Global Britain as a force for good.
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With interim SWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood at Walton Station last year. The government's rail reforms announced this month are good news for Elmbridge.
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Earlier this month the government announced 30 new pieces of legislation in the Queen’s Speech. While we remain focused on beating Coronavirus, the speech also showed the government’s determination to look forward and get on with fulfilling the promises we have made to the British people – backing the NHS, making streets safer, supporting jobs and businesses, and working towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Another major announcement this month was the government’s rail reforms. These have the potential to make real improvements to our local services in Elmbridge. A new body – Great British Railways – will have responsibility for fares, ticketing, timetables and infrastructure, providing a single point of accountability. New contracts will hold rail operators to demanding standards for punctuality, reliability, and capacity – issues which have caused so much frustration locally.
In other good news this month:
- International Trade Secretary Liz Truss kicked off the formal process of securing new trade deals with Canada and Mexico, and launched a public consultation on a trade agreement with India.
- In a vote of confidence in the UK economy, Amazon announced plans to create 10,000 new, full-time jobs in the UK, while investing £10m to boost skills.
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