Sir Edward Leigh

By Sir Edward Leigh edwardleigh

The attack on Westminster by one man yesterday was an appalling assault on the public and our Parliament.

We remain strong, resolute and defiant in the face of such attacks; for if we give in to fear, if we surrender to anger, if we let ourselves succumb to rage then we do ourselves the injustice of losing the very nobility and civility that sets us apart from the terrorist.

The state of nature is the state of war, so Hobbes tells us. It is our cherished achievement that for better or worse we organise into communities, we cast off the savagery that the terrorist so readily embraces and forge the bonds of society and nationhood.

As colleagues on the parliamentary estate rushed to help Keith Palmer, the policeman who died in yesterday’s attack, they also provided first aid to his attacker.

So great was the humanity of people caught up in the attack that even the perpetrator was aided.

It is the hallmark of our civility that both men were being treated, just yards from each other.

It is evidence that no matter how we are attacked, what actions are taken to undermine us, however they seek to destroy us we will face it, together.

It was telling that in the wake of this national emergency, as it remained unclear if this was an individual incident or the first action in a more co-ordinated attack, the Scottish Parliament decided, rightly, to suspend their sitting.

Across the world public buildings were lit with the Union flag in a show of solidarity. The terrorist makes no distinction between us. We are one people.

London is a place where peoples from across the globe come to live and work. It is the beating heart of our United Kingdom, home to the mother of all parliaments. It is a global city; and yesterday the front line in the battle against Islamic extremism.

Today we return to normal. For that is the only way to defeat the terrorist. We will ‘keep calm and carry on’. And in our own quiet way we will defy those who would see us brought low.

In the coming days we will mark the passing of dedicated public servants like Keith Palmer, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our way of life, and the innocent members of the public who lost their lives too.

I know that the survivors of the attacks will not fail to find comfort and support from us.

And whilst there will be a heightened state of alert, an increased awareness that Islamic terror has returned to our capital.

We must continue together, being kinder to one another, keeping our hearts and minds open and in that way we will stand in defiance of terror.

Sir Edward Leigh has been the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough since 1983.

By Sir Edward Leigh edwardleigh

On Wednesday last week the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly for the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. I fully supported the bill.

Brexit remains the most important issue that people often raise with me. Whilst we may not know the precise details of what Brexit will look like, we do know what our destination is, and the determined approach of the Prime Minister and Conservative government to make a success of it.

At a time when many feel that uncertainty is on the march I feel quietly confident that on big issues we can have confidence.

The NHS is an area dear to the hearts of everyone. I have been criticised heavily on social media by many on the left for daring to ask about how we can make sure that people get the care they need when they need it.

So that we do not end up with a system unable to cope with the modern world, unable to be funded in the future and where people who come to the end of their lives without dignity, alone and abandoned.

It is surely right that we make sure that the most vulnerable in society have the support they need to live their lives as they wish, and doggedly sticking to the systems of the past might not produce the best results.

If politicians like myself are cowed into not discussing the alternatives then we abrogate our responsibilities in the worst possible way and for the worst possible reasons.

Once again the debate about how we should be governed locally has returned.

This time as a surprise exercise from county council leader, Councillor Martin Hill who, having seen the devolution deal fall, has decided he wants to expend half a million pounds, or potentially more, on a plebiscite – that wouldn’t even be binding.

Other local authorities, like the excellent West Lindsey District Council, have tightened their belts, where they have had to, implemented change where necessary and looked at how they can deliver services more efficiently and effectively.

It is not clear that the same zeal has suffused the coalition administration at Lincolnshire County Council.

I recognise that the hand dealt to local authorities – to do their part to balance the nation’s books after 13 disastrous years of Labour rule – is not an easy one.

But the county council seems to have retreated to a comfort zone of managed decline; in contrast to the district council which has embraced a revolution to do things differently.

West Lindsey remains the only district in Lincolnshire where residents don’t pay for their garden waste wheelie bin to be collected.

West Lindsey today has almost exactly the same number of full time equivalent staff as it did a decade ago: But these are not people doing the same jobs as before; they are doing different jobs, delivering the Conservative administration’s vision of an increasingly entrepreneurial and commercialised council.

The same cannot be said for Lincolnshire.

Where has the bold vision been at County Hall? Where has been the implementation of new ideas?

How can people be expected to grapple with the issues surrounding changing from the current system of district councils and the county council to an unspecified number of unitary authorities in the few weeks from the last week of February to the first week of May?

How will county councillors look their electorates in the eye and explain that they have flushed half a million pounds away when adult social care could have benefitted from the money?

I would urge county councillors to think long and hard about the decision that is being asked of them.

Surely it would be better for all local authorities to work together, as they did so well whilst negotiating the devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire, and consider what change, if any, would be in the best interests of the county?

Then local residents can be consulted on an actual plan, weigh up the merits of a proposal against the current system and make an informed choice.

I feel that it is the responsibility of those elected to public office to work for the common good.

Whether that is discussing unpopular ideas to test that what we are doing is the right approach, or finding solutions to the challenges we faces.

Sir Edward Leigh has been the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough since 1983.