Chris Whiteside's Blog

Today, the Conservative government announced the initial mission of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, making it easier for veterans and their families to get the support they need.  We are setting up the new Office for Veterans Affairs, which will work to deliver better outcomes for veterans, particularly in areas such as mental health, employment and housing.  Veterans, not bureaucrats, will guide this work.  That's why the Office will be led by retired Colonel David Richmond, the most senior officer injured in combat in Afghanistan, and a former Director of Recovery at Help for Heroes.  By outlining the new office’s programme of work today, we are delivering on our commitment to ensure that the UK in the best place in the world to be a veteran.

Following the Queen's Speech on Monday, the Conservative government is introducing an Environment Bill to tackle the biggest environmental priorities of our time and protect our natural environment for generations to come. Leaving the EU is a defining opportunity for the UK to set its own course and take ambitious action to protect our natural environment – and the need for action is clear.   Our landmark Environment Bill will cement the UK’s position as a world leader on air quality, environmental biodiversity and plastics reduction, with new measures and legally binding targets that will lead a green transformation, help tackle climate change and ensure governments are accountable, both now and in the future.   We are getting Brexit done to focus on the issues that really matter to people, like delivering on our commitment on tackling climate change, while keeping bills low, and leaving our precious planet in a better condition than we found it ...

"I ask myself: What if, two weeks after Jo Cox was murdered, a backbench Tory invited members of National Action to Parliament? What if, while her murderer Thomas Mair was in court declaring ‘death to traitors’, that same Tory MP was outside at a ‘solidarity’ vigil? What if that Tory MP had been willing to get himself arrested for the pleasure? And what if he had written a cheery note to the organiser of the demo? Now imagine that Tory MP ended up party leader one day. How would Labour MPs respond? Would they cut his backbenchers the same slack they cut themselves? Would they shrug their shoulders and say, ‘Oh, they’re just being loyal party people’ or ‘He’s doing well in the polls’? Would they empathise with the Tory MPs and members who said they were staying to fight for their party’s ‘soul’? Would they hell. They would be howling and marching and demanding every last Tory MP resign. And they’d be right." (Steven Daisley, extract from an article in the Specta...

New figures show that wages have risen again, ahead of prices for 19 consecutive months, meaning families have greater financial security and can plan for their future with confidence. But the Conservatives won’t stop there. We will do our utmost to get Brexit done on 31st October, so we can move the country forwards and focus on the people’s priorities – investing in our NHS, tackling violent crime, and reducing the cost of living – including through increasing the National Living Wage to £10.50 per hour. Labour won’t allow the country to move on from Brexit and their dangerous plans would wreck the economy – meaning higher taxes, more debt and fewer jobs. Key Statistics: Wages: Average weekly earnings for employees increased by 3.8 per cent compared with a year earlier – growing by 2.0 per cent after adjusting for inflation – meaning people have more money in their pockets.   Employment: 32.69 million (up 282,000 over the last year and up by 3.65 million since ...

Patriotism, the love of one's own country, is a healthy and natural thing. Nationalism, however, is another matter. Some nationalists are much more unpleasant about it than others but in my experience anyone who calls themselves a nationalist, and some who don't but are, is at least one step along the road which descends first to defining yourself not by positive statements about your own country but against those who you see as "other" and ultimately to a dislike of other people's countries.  This is a destructive attitude, which belongs in the dustbin of history and for which I have no time, regardless of which country the people who peddle it regard themselves as supporting. I have no doubt that if I were Spanish I would be as sceptical about Catalan nationalists as I am about any of the forms of nationalism which exist within the UK. But disagreeing with a political creed is one thing. Locking up its leaders is another. There is a very...

"We all have to show ID whenever we collect a parcel from the local Royal Mail depot, but nobody accuses Royal Mail of postal suppression." (Journalist Michael Crick responds on Twitter to allegations from the Labour party that requiring photo ID to vote is "Voter suppression" rather than an attempt to stop fraud. He also wrote "The extent of vote fraud may be exaggerated - & proposed remedies may go too far - but you can’t say there’s NO problem.  Remember Birmingham or Tower Hamlets?  And remember Marsha-Jane Thompson, convicted of vote fraud in 2006, later employed in Corbyn’s office & now Labour HQ?"

Under Margaret Thatcher, under Theresa May and now under Boris Johnson, British Conservative governments have led the way in the fight to tackle climate change. It was under Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government that the UK became one of the first countries to call for global action on climate change and, since then, we have taken a leading role on the world stage.  Under Conservative leadership, Britain became the first advanced economy to legislate for Net Zero emissions by 2050.  We have already reduced emissions by a quarter since 2010 and boosted renewables to record levels. It is disappointing to see the Guardian attacking this record using a methodology which fails to recognise any of these actions - focusing just on narrow and selectively chosen criteria designed to misrepresent the Conservative's position, which could be used to prove almost anything.  Conservatives are determined to take action so that future generations will look back on climate ch...

"In the last few days there is at least hope that this toxic and crippling fog, which we have created, might just be lifting as the prime minister sketches the outline of a way forward – and I speak as someone who has been robust in my review of previous proposals – but the house must surely see, as I do, that we have debated long enough.  This is a moment for decision and we were elected to make decisions.  If there is light at the end of the tunnel later this week, and heaven knows I hope there will be, we have a fundamental responsibility in this place to try and resolve this most vexed of problems and allow our despairing country to move on.  For the health of our democracy and to restore faith in this most venerable of institutions, in my view we simply must get Brexit done." ( Lee Rowley MP ,  moving the "Loyal address" on the Queeen's Speech yesterday.) The above words were seen as a signal that Mr Rowley, one of the so-called ERG "Spartan...

The Culture Secretary has launched the biggest investment into local libraries and cultural institutions for a century, to give much-loved community facilities a vital boost. Creative and cultural institutions are at the heart of our communities. But Conservatives understand that too often the focus is put only on London, rather than supporting the rich heritage that can be found across the whole UK.  That's why we will create a £250 million Culture Investment Fund, to support regional museums and libraries around England.  We will invest £50 million a year, for the next five years, to revitalise existing cultural assets and support the development of new projects.  Investing in culture and creativity can help to spread prosperity across the country, creating well-paid jobs, attracting tourists to boost growth and rejuvenating high streets and town centres.

When people voted in the EU referendum, they voted for a better future for this country. But years of delay and indecision by politicians means the change they hoped for hasn’t yet been delivered. Today’s Queen’s Speech set out our ambitious domestic agenda, focusing on our core priorities of getting Brexit done, investing in our NHS, tackling violent crime, and dealing with the cost of living. By getting Brexit done, we will end the uncertainty and get on with an ambitious programme to build a brighter future for everyone in this country. We are leaving the European Union on 31 October. This Queen’s Speech sets out how we will seize the opportunities created by Brexit: We remain committed to securing a deal with the EU and negotiating an ambitious future relationship – The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill will ratify that deal once secured.   An Agriculture Bill will reform UK agriculture policy introducing schemes to pay for public goods.   Th...

A few weeks ago  I tweeted a question to advocates of Scottish Independence: I asked what plans they have, in the event that they manage to get and win another Independence referendum, to avoid running into extremely similar problems on the England-Scotland border to those which Brexit is now presenting in respect of the Irish one. There were no answers at the time, but the First Minister of Scotland and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, was asked about the issue on the BBC's Andrew Marr show this morning. Interestingly, though she didn't really have an answer, she declined to rule out the possibility of a hard border. In statements highly reminiscent of some of the comments from both sides about the border in Ireland, she said, "I don’t want borders its not my policies that are putting borders anywhere." However, promising to be "honest" on the subject, Nicola Sturgeon added: "We need to see how things play out." The First Minister also ref...

John Henry Newman, (21st February 1801 – 11th August 1890) who has been canonised today by the Catholic Church and is therefore now recognised as a saint by roman catholics, was a priest, poet and theologian who was an important and controversial figure in the religious revival of the 19th century. Newman was initially ordained as a priest in the Church of England but then defected to the roman catholic church in which he was re-ordained and later became a cardinal. The shift in his theological position over his life was even more profound than this may suggest: his original conversion to Christianity, which throughout his life he continued to believe had been the salvation of his soul, was as an Evangelical in the English Calvinist tradition within which the pope was usually regarded as the anti-Christ. Having started as a "low church" protestant, by his late twenties Newman was moving toward what would become the Oxford Movement which was very much on the opposite win...

Here is Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor of the Daily Telegraph, speaking on BBC's Question Time about the U-turns and inconsistencies of the so-called "Liberal Democrats" about Brexit. As Spiked magazine put it last week in an article called " Heidi Allen, political fraudster ," Every single MP who has defected to the Lib/Dems "stood on a manifesto pledging to deliver Brexit. They were all elected in areas in which the Lib Dems came either third or fourth at the last election. And precisely none of them has called a by-election, to see if his or her constituents are happy to be represented by another party to the one they actually voted for." "Many of them went out of their way to tell their constituents that they would uphold the vote. During the 2017 election campaign, Heidi Allen couldn’t have been clearer, telling a hustings: ‘ I was a Remainer, but the minute we start ignoring the democratic will of the people in this country, we ...

The Prime Minister has phoned President Erdoğan of Turkey to express his "grave concern" about the situation in northern Syria, calling on Turkey to end its military operation in the area. In a telephone call to the Turkish leader, Boris Johnson voiced his concern that the action could worsen the humanitarian situation in the region and undermine the fight against DA'ESH (the so-called "Islamic State.") The news of this phone call comes as aid agencies warn of a humanitarian crisis after 100,000 refugees have fled the violence as Turkey pushes further into Syria. Mr Johnson called on President Erdoğan to enter into dialogue with a view to reaching agreement on a ceasefire. A Number 10 spokesman said: "He expressed the UK’s grave concern about Turkey’s military operation in northern Syria which he said could further worsen the humanitarian situation there and undermine the progress made against Daesh." Meanwhile Turkey says it has locked up mo...

Cumbria police say that they have closed the A66 in both directions from Brigham to Cockermouth due to a suspected gas leak. The statement reads: "Road closures are in place on the A66 near Cockermouth following the report of a suspected gas leak just after 11.20am today (Oct 12). Motorists are asked to avoid the area, with closures in place at the Fitz and Oakhurst roundabouts and at Brigham. Those living nearby are being advised to keep their doors and windows closed as a precaution – although the suspected leak is some way away from any homes. Engineers have been called out. The suspected leak is between the Fitz and Oakhurst roundabouts." I also understand that Highways England have put diversions in place.

New figures have shown there are now 200,000 more businesses in the UK than there were last year, boosting public services and creating more good jobs for people. This is the highest number of businesses in the UK for almost two decades, which will provide more jobs, more tax revenues, and therefore more money for our vital public services.   The credit goes to the hard working entrepreneurs and staff who set up these new businesses. Because of their efforts, and because the Conservatives back business and worked to create an environment in which business can succeed, there are now more businesses in every region and country of the UK than in 2010.

Great news for law abiding residents of Cumbria: in the first tranche of the government's funding to recruit 20,000 new police Cumbria Constabulary has been allocated 51 more police officers. And because of the prompt action of our excellent Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, the very first new police officers to hit the streets here in Cumbria will be the first officers recruited under this policy.

Today it was announced how schools across the country will benefit from the Prime Minister’s £14 billion funding pledge – so that every child in the country has equal opportunities to succeed. We are investing in our children’s futures with the biggest funding boost for school in a decade - £14 billion additional funding over the next three years – meaning more money for every child to receive a truly world-class education.  Schools and local authorities heard today how Government is allocating the first part of that investment - £2.6 billion - for the coming year, with the biggest increases going to schools that need it most to supercharge the ongoing rise in school standards.

There are few people in Britain who have better reason to know than I do that Kurdish terrorism does exist. In November 1993 I was having a discussion over coffee with a colleague on the tenth floor staff restaurant of a BT office building in central London when the fire alarm went and we had to evacuate. It turned out that a group of Kurdish separatists had thrown an improvised firebomb - some kind of Molotov cocktail - through what they thought was the window of the Turkish bank to which part of the ground floor of the building was leased. Actually it was the window of the facilities office of that BT building, and it landed on a female BT employee who suffered severe burns and might have been killed but for the prompt action of a colleague. There were about eight hundred people working in that building and it is not at all difficult to envisage circumstances in which a significant proportion of those people, including myself, might have been killed as a result of a conflict fo...

"Today I spent three hours outside my synagogue providing security. It was cold and (save for the excellent company of one of my best friends) a bit boring but tragically it obviously wasn’t a waste of time."  (Lord Danny Finkelstein on twitter yesterday. His words "tragically it obviously wasn't a waste of time" refer to the fact that an armed terrorist, shouting various extreme and anti-Semitic slogans, attempted to break into a into a Synagogue in the German town of Halle on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish Calendar.  Failing to do so he shot dead a woman outside the nearby Jewish Cemetary, and then shot dead a man at a nearby kebab shop. Several other innocent bystanders were shot and wounded before the terrorist was captured.)

The evidence supports the view that human activity is having an impact on our world's environment and that we need to do something about it. The evidence does not support the extreme claims of the "Extinction Rebellion" protest group such as this lady who tried to excuse it to Andrew Neil on the basis that "alarmist language works." It would be fair to say that Andrew Neil was not impressed by this …

As winter approaches residents of Cumbria have been urged by the local NHS to get their flu vaccination and take steps to keep themselves well over the winter months and help protect themselves, their family and friends from the virus. Patients in higher risk groups who are eligible to receive a free flu jab from their GP include : everyone aged over 65  women who are pregnant  those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups including patients who suffer from a chronic illness, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), kidney disease, hepatitis, Parkinsons, HIV and diabetes  children aged 2 or 3 years old (on 31 August of current flu season), all primary school-aged children and children with a health condition that puts them at a greater risk of flu  those in long-stay residential care homes  carers

The former North Cumbria University hospitals NHS Trust and the former Cumbria Primary Care NHS trust have merged. The new trust which they have created is called the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) More details on my hospitals blog at https://savewestcumbriahospitals.blogspot.com/2019/10/north-cumbria-inegrated-care-nhs.html