My decision on the Syria vote was strongly influenced by my personal experiences and work in Bosnia, in Kosovo, in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Balkans showed me how important an international intervention can be in protecting civilians. Iraq and Afghanistan showed how much uncertainty and ignorance and risk we face in intervention. There are risks […]
New rules come into effect today that will crackdown on waste crime, creating cleaner communities and protecting our natural environment. The legislative amendments will speed up prosecutions for rogue waste site operators, making it easier to take action against those flouting the law. The changes come as part of the Government’s ongoing crackdown on waste […]
Rural communities across the UK will have access to £138 million to create more jobs and boost the rural economy, Farming Minister George Eustice announced today. The approach, known as LEADER, will give local communities power to support projects in their own area, building on the Government’s devolution commitments under its Rural Productivity Plan. Projects […]
Thousands of precious sea creatures, from seals and indigenous seabirds, to endangered sea turtles, will be protected with the introduction of the 5p charge for single use plastic carrier bags, Environment Minister Rory Stewart said today (Thursday, 01 October) during a visit to the Sea Life London Aquarium. The charge, which comes into effect on […]
Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and The Border and former Chair of the Defence Select Committee, welcomed the Chancellor’s Budget announcement that the Government will continue to fulfill the United Kingdom’s NATO commitment of spending 2% of GDP on defence. He said: “I am delighted that the Government will be fulfilling its commitment to our […]
Local MP Rory Stewart, who has worked closely with his parliamentary colleagues for years on assisting constituents who have suffered significant financial losses as Equitable Life policyholders, today welcomed the Chancellor’s acknowledgement of their long-standing fight for justice, in a mention in the Budget Statement delivered in Parliament. The Chancellor announced today a further package […]
Why should a policy-maker study history? After all, the more you examine history, the more bewildered you become. Even for the few periods for which records survive, what we know confuses us. Our forefathers believed in things, which we struggle to understand. They died for countries like the Kingdom of Cumbria, which have now vanished, […]
Rory last week encouraged Government to ensure a local official was present at an NFU meeting, organised to help farmers better understand and cope with the extremely challenging conditions in which many now find themselves. The meeting, held in Longtown, attracted over 30 local farmers from the surrounding area, where veterinary experts and representatives from […]
Things are becoming slicker and more professional, but also, at times, more second-rate. Businesses and governments boast of their new professional management. But poor documentaries are coming from good TV companies, dangerous drilling decisions from major oil companies, idiotic investments from leading development agencies. There are bad planning decisions in market towns, bad environmental policies […]
