Shailesh Vara MP and Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston MP visit Peterborough United
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston MP visited Peterborough United Football Club (PUFC) today where he was welcomed by Shailesh Vara MP, Director Bob Symns and Chief Executive David Paton.
The Minister was fulfilling a promise to visit the club which he made in November 2020 when Mr Vara held a debate in Parliament to highlight the difficulties PUFC were experiencing by the restrictions during the pandemic. At the time, no fans were allowed to visit the Weston Homes Stadium to see live matches which was having a significant effect on the club's finances.
During the debate, Mr Vara urged the Minister to allow a limited number of fans to visit the stadium on match days as the club had made very thorough plans to ensure that people remained safe while watching matches.
On his visit to the stadium, which is in Mr Vara’s constituency of North West Cambridgeshire., Mr Huddleston was given a presentation on matters concerning the club, including the very important work carried out by the Peterborough United Foundation. The Foundation provides a training and development centre, outreach programs, disability coaching programmes, support for an adult amputee team and much more.
Mr Huddleston also had a tour of some of the club's facilities and met with some of the people involved with the club's work including Director of the Peterborough Foundation Gill Wignall, Academy Manager Kieran Scarff and General Manager of the Ladies Team Bobby Copping.
Following the visit Mr Vara said:-
“I am very grateful to the Minister for keeping his promise to visit the club and taking time out of his very busy schedule.
“This was an important visit and a great opportunity to talk to the Minister about the club and football in general. I was especially pleased that the Minister was able to see first hand the fantastic work being done by the club to support the local community in a variety of ways.”
Photo: CEO David Paton, Minister Nigel Huddleston MP, Shailesh Vara MP and Director Bob Symns
Shailesh Vara makes the case for Peterborough to be the new HQ for Great British Railways.
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
May I start by congratulating my right hon. Friend on his appointment as Leader of the House? The Secretary of State for Transport recently announced that there would be a competition to find a new headquarters for Great British Railways. My constituency of North West Cambridgeshire comprises the southern half of the city of Peterborough, and I am in no doubt that it would be the ideal location for a new headquarters. Will my right hon. Friend kindly provide time in the House for a debate in which I and my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Paul Bristow) could put forward the case as to why the city of Peterborough should be the location of the new headquarters for Great British Railways?
Mark Spencer (The Leader of the House of Commons)
My hon. Friend is a great champion for his constituents, for Cambridgeshire and for Peterborough. I understand that the Great British Railways transition team is running the competition, and I wish him every success in his bid. I also note that the Government are embarking on the biggest investment in our railway infrastructure, with £96 billion through the integrated rail plan.
Shailesh Vara MP has today called for Peterborough to be the home for the new national headquarters of Great British Railways. This follows the recent announcement by Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport, to hold a competition inviting towns and cities across the country to apply for Great British Railways’ new headquarters to be located in their area.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Vara said that his constituency of North West Cambridgeshire includes the southern half of the city of Peterborough and that he was in no doubt that the city would be the ideal location for the new headquarters.
Mr Vara asked the Leader of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP, for a debate in the Commons in which he and neighbouring MP Paul Bristow could make the case for Peterborough to be the new headquarters.
In his reply, Mr Spencer praised Mr Vara as “a great champion for his constituents” and wished him every success in his bid. Mr Spencer added that the Government is embarking on the biggest investment in railway improvements, with £96 billion through the Integrated Rail Plan.
Great British Railways is a planned public body which will oversee rail transport across the country from 2023, replacing Network Rail. Its responsibilities will include the contracting of train operations, setting of timetables and fares, and the collection of fare revenue at the majority of stations.
As part of the Government’s commitment to levelling up, the headquarters for Great British Railways will be based outside of London. The winning area will receive government investment and a boost to the local economy with the creation of a number of high-skilled jobs.
Shortlisted applications will be announced in May 2022, to be followed by a public vote.
Mr Vara said:
“There is no doubt in my mind that Peterborough would be an excellent location for the new headquarters of Great British Railways. It would be a great boost to the city in so many ways, including bringing in many more jobs.
“As one of the fastest growing city’s in the country, with centuries of historic links to some of Britain’s first train stations, I am confident that Peterborough is well placed both culturally and geographically to bid for this investment.”
Following the Prime Minister’s statement on the Sue Gray Report, Shailesh Vara tells the PM that, without minimising the importance of the events in Downing Street during lockdown, local military families are also concerned about the potential role the UK military could end up playing in the conflict on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
It is absolutely right that over the past few weeks constituents of Members on both sides of the House have been writing to us about this hugely important issue, and I do not wish in any way to minimise its importance, but there are military bases in my constituency, and I am receiving emails from families who are concerned about their loved ones and the potential role that they may end up playing given the conflict on the Russia-Ukraine border. Opposition Members may treat this lightly, but the families of those serving in the military do not treat it lightly. Will my right hon. Friend give me an assurance that, notwithstanding the importance of the issue we are discussing at present, his Government will start to address other important matters that concern my constituents and those of Members throughout the House?
The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)
I thank my hon. Friend very much indeed. I think he is completely right. Of course these matters are important, and we have to wait for the inquiry, but in the meantime the UK must play the leading role that we are playing, in bringing the west together to form a united front against Vladimir Putin, in particular with the economic sanctions that we need. That is the priority of the Government right now.
Shailesh Vara MP joined local campaigners for a meeting in the fight to secure a flyover at the Wittering junction on the A1.
Campaigners say that the current junction is very dangerous as those driving southbound along the A1 wishing to access the village have to cross the A1 northbound carriageway in order to enter Wittering village. With fast driving cars and heavy goods vehicles travelling both north and south, the dangerous crossing has resulted in fatalities and many accidents and near misses.
The meeting was arranged by Peterborough City Councillor Gavin Elsey and others attending included Wing Commander Jeremy Case, who is station commander of RAF Wittering, Cllr John Bradshaw, Vice-Chairman of Wittering Parish Council, Cllr Margaret Palmer, Chairwoman of Barnack Parish Council, Mr Rhys Thrower, Headteacher at Wittering Primary School, Mark Davis MBE, Community Development Officer at RAF Wittering, and Steven Thulborn from National Highways.
The long running campaign met to discuss preparing a case for the flyover to be included in the government’s next round of major road expenditure, the Roads Investment Strategy 2025-2030.
The meeting felt that the problem would continue to get worse as more houses are built in the village. This will add to the existing population of the village as well as the 1,400 service, civilian and contractor personnel working at RAF Wittering. The RAF base is a major employer in the area, being the main operating base and headquarters for the RAF A4 Force and a major centre for flight training.
Cllr Gavin Elsey spoke of working closely with Peterborough City Council to ensure that the case was also made as to the economic benefits that would follow if a flyover were to be built at the junction.
The campaigners have the backing of Peterborough City Council and will continue to meet with National Highways to prepare the strongest case possible for the flyover to be built.
Following the meeting, Mr Vara said:
“This campaign has been ongoing for many years and I am pleased that the local community remains committed to fighting for this much needed flyover.
“This is a very dangerous junction and a flyover will help avoid future fatalities and the many accidents and near misses that are regularly experienced by the local community. All parties concerned will continue working together to prepare the most comprehensive and thorough submission for National Highways route strategies process, which will inform the Department of Transport in preparation for the next roads investment period.”
Cllr Elsey added:
“It was great to have all interested parties around the table to collaborate on what most would agree, is a long- overdue and much needed scheme to replace the potentially lethal junction currently in place.
“There was a desire from all, to get the right scheme in front of Baroness Vere, the Transport Minister, as soon as we can. We will work this through and ensure the submission happens."
Cllr Bradshaw noted:
“We desperately need better road access to Wittering as we are a large community that is socially isolated. RAF Wittering needs better road access as well. The Campaign has been going on for over 20 years. A1 Wittering flyover is well overdue.”
Mr Thrower said:
“We are keen to be part of a project that increases the safety of anyone connected to Wittering. It is an important issue and by working together with all key parties we can hopefully be successful in our aims."
Photo: Shailesh Vara MP, Cllr Gavin Elsey, Mark Davis, Wing Commander Jeremy Case, Steven Thulborn, Cllr John Bradshaw and Rhys Thrower.
Shailesh Vara and local campaigners for a flyover at the Wittering junction on the A1
Shailesh Vara speaks in Parliament’s Holocaust Memorial Day debate to welcome the opportunities that exist for schoolchildren to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau and calls on the Government to encourage these visits to ensure that more people understand the reality of what happened.
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
On the issue of rising antisemitism, does my right hon. Friend agree that it is very good that there are opportunities for schoolchildren to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, to see personally the horrors that were inflicted on those poor people, and that that is something that should be encouraged, to ensure that more people understand the reality of what happened? May I also just compliment him on managing to secure this debate and on his very powerful speech?
Robert Jenrick
I thank my hon. Friend, and return to my thanks to and support of the Holocaust Educational Trust, which sends hundreds of thousands of our young people to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. I hope this Government will continue to support the trust, as previous Governments did, enabling those visits to continue.
Shailesh Vara welcome the Prime Minister’s statement on Ukraine and calls on the Government to counter Russian misinformation that NATO is anything other than a defensive alliance.
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
May I commend the Prime Minister on his tough statement? The point has already been made about the disinformation that is coming from the Kremlin, but he will appreciate that much of that is targeted at NATO. Will he use this opportunity to make it absolutely clear that NATO is a defensive organisation and that it should not in any way be construed as being offensive or threatening?
The Prime Minister (Boris Johnson)
Yes, my hon. Friend is so right, because that is the misconception, whether witting or otherwise. Russia persists in the fiction that NATO is somehow an aggressive alliance and a threat to Russia. NATO is not an aggressive alliance; Russia is not encircled by threats. It is absolutely vital that we convey that to Vladimir Putin. If he can understand that, that is the route to progress and that is the diplomatic path that we have to follow.
Shailesh Vara calls on the Parliament to focus on matters that really affect our constituents on a day-to-day basis—cost of living, energy prices and so on—as well as on the fact that 100,000 Russian troops are on the Ukrainian border, which threatens global instability?
Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)
Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree with me that it is a long-standing convention in this House that when there are independent inquiries and investigations, they are allowed to run their course and that prejudgments are not made in this House? Given that that is the case and that it would be advisable for that convention to be carried on, does he also agree that we really need to concentrate on matters that really affect our constituents on a day-to-day basis—cost of living, energy prices and so on—as well as on the fact that 100,000 Russian troops are on the Ukrainian border, which threatens global instability?
Michael Ellis (The Paymaster General)
My hon. Friend makes a powerful point about the pressing international situation, particularly as regards Ukraine and Russia. I know that the Prime Minister is focused on that matter.
I also understand the anxiety and indignation of many who are frustrated by the reports that have been emanating over the course of many weeks about alleged gatherings in the Downing Street area. The reality of the matter is that the Prime Minister is focused, as he has been focused, on delivering for this country as he has succeeded in delivering vaccines and on the manifesto commitments. He will continue that laser focus.