Michael had the pleasure of visiting Specsavers in Swanley where he had the chance to meet the staff and see their new Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) machine, a hospital-grade screening tester which takes pictures of the retina. OCT machines help detect eye conditions much earlier than traditional eye tests – and Michael got the opportunity to get his eyes tested!
I am grateful to all those constituents who have shared their views with me over the past few weeks. I have now had several hundred emails and letters, so many that I am regretfully unable to reply individually to each point, but I have read each one in coming to my own voting decisions.
There are different views across Sevenoaks and Swanley, just as there are across the country. And they divide at least four ways: there are Remainers who oppose the Withdrawal Agreement because it leads to an unknown Brexit and there are Remainers who support it, as keeping the UK fairly close to the current customs union; there are Leavers who want a purer Brexit and so oppose the Agreement for exactly the same reason, and there are Leavers who now support the Agreement fearing that unless we accept it we may never leave the EU at all. It is impossible to reconcile these differences in a single vote.
My conclusion is that we must implement the Referendum result as we promised, and we must avoid the potential damage to our economy and disruption here in Kent of leaving without any deal: the Leave campaign itself argued for “a careful change, not a sudden stop”. The government is committed to an orderly withdrawal, and my view is that there is now a greater risk of a disorderly exit if we do not support the Withdrawal Agreement today. Though the Agreement is flawed, and weakens the United Kingdom by disadvantaging Northern Ireland, these are issues to which we can return when the subsequent Withdrawal legislation comes before Parliament. That is why I supported the Government today.
With all best wishes
Michael Fallon MP
Britain voted to the leave the EU; so did Sevenoaks. That’s why in Parliament I’ve spoken and voted against simply re-running the referendum. The government is committed to respecting the result and securing an orderly withdrawal: the Leave campaign itself argued that leaving must be “a careful change, not a sudden stop”. We need to avoid risking damage to our economy and potential disruption here in Kent.
All sides have recognised the flaws in the original Withdrawal Agreement. It treats Northern Ireland differently; it doesn’t allow us to exit the trade negotiations if talks fail next year; and it doesn’t spell out clearly how we can still trade smoothly in goods and services once we have left. I therefore want to see a better, fairer Agreement, and if it is improved I will support it.
I appreciate that the Parliamentary processes have been frustratingly slow. But we have been in the EU for forty-six years: undoing existing co-operation in trade, security, technology and research was always going to be complicated. For the sake of our futures we must get it right.
I was delighted to visit, along with Councillors from Sevenoaks District and Parish Councils, the fantastic, ‘Best Business in the Community’ award-winning Weald Community Shop on Friday 15th March.
The 50 volunteers who run the shop have created so much more than a shop. It is a community hub and exemplifies the community spirit. I congratulate all involved.
Last week I attended the regular meeting of our Association Executive Council and I updated members on progress of the Brexit negotiations. This is a summary of what I told them.
Since the previous meeting I have received well over 1,000 emails and letters, from both Leavers and Remainers, urging me to vote for various outcomes. The constituency, like the rest of the country, is divided about the way forward.
I have also been lobbied by local businesses who are increasingly concerned about the continuing uncertainty, two and half years after the referendum. They want to know what new tariffs may apply in the event of “no deal”, and what certification is likely to be required at ports of entry.
Preparations to cope with disruption in the event of “no deal” are now intensifying. I attend regular meetings on “Operation Brock” with the Police, the Roads Minister and officials from the Highways Agency, KCC and the ports. Work is nearly complete on the M20 contraflow, and the M26 will be closed and used as a lorry park as the third option once the M20 contraflow and Manston Airport parking are full. I have asked for further work to be done to minimise the effect on the A25 through the constituency. There are also plans in place to prioritise imports of food, medicines and other essential goods.
I have been fully involved in the ongoing debate. I spoke in the debate on the Withdrawal Agreement and I’ve written two articles in the Daily Telegraph setting out my concerns with the original text of the Agreement. I continue to discuss my concerns in meetings with those involved, including Ministers, officials and last week the Irish Ambassador.
Everybody is finding these negotiations frustratingly slow (and they are not helped by EU intransigence). They were, however, always going to be difficult: no country has ever left the EU before and no two bordering countries anywhere in the world operate different customs and tax regimes without some border checks.
In Parliament and in both the main parties there are hard-line views on both sides. Some Remainers want a second referendum but this would be equally divisive and I do not support a “re-run”. Others want the UK to leave without a deal: that is not our policy, and indeed is not what the Leave campaign itself favoured: they wanted “a careful change, not a sudden stop”. My own view lies in the middle: we must absolutely respect the referendum result but agree an orderly exit that minimises the cost to business and any disruption here in Kent.
In my view the original Withdrawal Agreement was not compatible with our obligations to the Union and did not give us sufficient clarity about the terms of our future trading arrangements with the EU: I therefore voted against it. The Prime Minister is now committed to achieving a better deal: if she can achieve that, even if it involves a short delay, I will support it.
Statement from Michael Fallon MP
We are all sorry that Polly has resigned. At the Executive Council meeting last Friday I thanked her for her work. I updated members fully on the Brexit negotiations and voting.
Leaving without a deal has never been the government’s policy. It was not the Leave Campaign’s policy: they made clear there would have to be a transitional period rather than a cliff-edge. We must do everything possible to avoid the damage of new tariffs, however temporary, and to minimise any possible disruption to our businesses here in Kent.
I remain committed to implementing the result of the referendum but I could not support the original Withdrawal Agreement. I support the Prime Minister’s efforts to get a better deal.
Sir Michael has joined a group of MPs in demanding more transparency from Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, on 4G coverage in rural areas.
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Rural Business published a report last autumn which set out a series of recommendations to improve rural coverage, including more transparency and accountability of mobile operators.
The APPG has written to Ofcom’s Chief Executive Sharon White, outlining their concerns that Ofcom’s commitment to fulfilling those recommendations will only come at the end of their period of obligations – and not throughout.
Sir Michael said: “Improving rural coverage is vital for many SMEs in my constituency. Ofcom must hold operators to account more strongly.”
Apprenticeships are a vital in giving experience and jobs for our young people – so I was delighted to meet those providing, and benefiting from, those opportunities in Parliament.
National Apprenticeship Week is 4-8 March this year, and I would encourage you to attend an event local to you to understand more about the various post-education opportunities you have. You can access more information here: https://nawevents.co.uk/
World Cancer Day helps to raise awareness of the scale of the challenge and the role we can all play in the fight against the disease. Greater awareness is key and we must do more to tackle preventable risk factors. I was pleased to meet Cancer Research UK to hear more about the work being done in Sevenoaks, and I will continue to work with our local NHS staff to drive down waiting times for treatment.
On Friday, I was delighted to join parents and pupils to officially open our new grammar school, the Weald of Kent Grammar School Sevenoaks Annexe.
Thanks to all the hard work of the parents, campaigners, district and county councillors, and the Sevenoaks Chronicle, Sevenoaks has finally got the grammar it has been due for nearly a century.
So it’s about time.
Parents in my constituency needed more choice. With substantial pressure on local places causing unnecessary disappointment and stress, they wanted high-quality education to be accessible and affordable for their family.
Pupils in my constituency wanted more time. Travelling up to Dartford or Wilmington or down to Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells every morning and evening is time-consuming. It never made sense that bright minds in Sevenoaks needed to travel miles outside my constituency in order to get the education that’s right for them.
Now the girls attending the new annexe will have more time in the day to pursue hobbies and sports, develop friendships in the local area, and be with their families.
History is being made. It all started in 2011 when a group of parents launched a campaign to get a grammar school to Sevenoaks. They delivered a petition that stunned Kent County Council by achieving thousands of signatures in a matter of days.
The law was stacked against us. But what the opening of the Weald of Kent Grammar School Sevenoaks Annexe demonstrates is the winning power of parents.
With sustained local and national media coverage over many years, we forced the issue onto the agenda and reignited the debate. My constituents now have a proper choice of good local schools. But our work is only half done. There is strong local demand for a boys’ grammar too. That’s the next campaign.
