I have long said that Norfolk could, and should, be at the forefront of our country’s transport revolution – as we move towards achieiving the Government’s Zero Carbon targets.

That’s why I am delighted to hear that the new service station at Necton has become home to one of the largest Electric Rapid Charging Point Hubs in the country.

The company InstaVolt has opened the hub, which consists of eight state-of-the-art high powered rapid charging points. Located at this key strategic location in our county, the hub is ideally placed to cater for a large number of electric vehicle owners.

This is wonderful news for our beautiful part of the world – and builds on the outstanding work being done by so many others, including our local councils.

As a former Minister of State for the Future of Transport and someone determined to protect our rural way of life at the same time as improving our connectivity and prosperity, I believe this is a fantastic step forward for Mid Norfolk – and I look forward to seeing more in the months and years to come.

As part of my ongoing work to help communities in Mid Norfolk create their own Neighbourhood Plans, I am delighted to promote the efforts of Saham Toney Parish Council.

Many hours of tireless community work have gone into producing the Plan and, even in these difficult times, the hard work continues.

Today (Wednesday 24th June 2020), the Parish Council has formally submitted their pre-submission of the Plan. As a result, the next stage of consultation on the Plan has begun today and will run until Friday 14th August 2020.

The consultation is being carried out to:

1. Ensure that there is appropriate and adequate opportunity for the Strategic Environmental Assessment process to influence the development of the Plan prior to its full submission;

2. To allow review and comment of policies that have been added or updated since the previous consultation (August-October 2019); and

3. To make available additional documents in support of the Plan, that have been prepared as a result of new studies carried out since the previous consultation.

The pre-submission consists of the Neighbourhood Plan itself and eighteen supporting documents. Full details can be found: here

At the same time, the Parish Council are undertaking consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Plan. Full details can be found: here

The Neighbourhood Plan is a hugely important piece of work for the community – helping to determine how they would like the village to grow over the next two decades. I would encourage everyone associated with the village to take the time to look over the documents and share their views as part of the consultation.

For further information, please do visit the Saham Toney Neighbourhood Plan website: here.

Our Creative Arts sector is a vital part of our national, and Norfolk, economy.

Since time immemorial, it has had enormous benefits for our wellbeing as a society, strengthened British values and culture and provided a massive boost to our global revenue.

That’s why I have joined fellow parliamentary colleagues from across Norfolk and Suffolk in writing to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to call for more support for this key industry – following a shocking report that more than 400,000 jobs within it could vanish this year as a result of Coronavirus.

Rest assured, I will continue to speak up for this sector, as well as the many others that are the engine of our economy.

To learn more, please do visit the EDP article: here .

As you can imagine, I’ve had several hundred emails on this. I’ve read them all. (Every night, my team provide me with a folder full of campaign and policy emails received that day for me to read through).

That’s why I thought it would be helpful to set out my response on all the key arguments.

Let me start by saying that, like all MPs in Parliament, I was absolutely sickened, appalled and outraged at the death of George Floyd. I share the widespread horror at the sight of a man being killed by a policeman with his hands in his pockets, watched by two colleagues, kneeling on the man’s neck while he calls out “I can’t breathe”.

I join with all those across the globe who are peacefully demanding urgent and wide-scale change and reform. Both in the US criminal justice system - and here in our own country where necessary, to tackle institutional prejudice. Leaving aside race for a moment, the George Floyd killing is a shocking example of police brutality and a breach of fundamental common human decency. Sadly, it is another example of the racial prejudice which the American justice system has struggled with for decades. Some ask what it has to do with us? Whilst US justice and domestic racial politics is a matter for the US, at a time when the values and security of western liberal democracy faces huge pressure around the world, our authority is heavily influenced by our ability to practise what we preach. If we want to take a stand on Chinese abuse of minorities, or Muslim extremism, I believe it is vital that we practise what we preach. And that as old allies and friends of the USA we let them know when we are concerned about the impact of problems like this on our shared values. So I do believe this is a hugely important moment for the United Kingdom and the west. Indeed, the world.

But, that said, I do not support the way the George Floyd killing has been used to justify a wave of street violence nor mob attacks on all historical statues and monuments related to public figures in this country celebrated when we were a major part of the global slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries, before it was abolished (by this country). Toppling statues, attacking the police and violent behaviour is unlawful and must be treated as such. We cannot - and must not - let the actions of small fringe groups get in the way of ensuring the George Floyd tragedy is a catalyst for real progress. That’s why, as you may have seen in the media, I have called for universities to consider a better approach than pulling down statues to appease the “mob” - instead putting UP statues to abolitionists like Wilberforce and BAME campaigners like Martin Luther King, Ghandi and Nelson Mandela, and as Universities to invest n courses which educate today’s generation in both the history of slavery and the ongoing scale of human trafficking including here in the UK, especially linked to the sex trade and illegal economic migration. From my earliest days as a teenager experiencing and then campaigning against the loathsome apartheid regime in South Africa, I have always seen a commitment to fighting racial inequality as part of a broader commitment to tolerance, decency and basic human rights.

I can’t claim to truly understand the life experiences of those who face institutional racism. But what I can do - as an MP, a father and a citizen - is listen and commit to supporting all those in our local community and nationally who are fighting for equality, justice and diversity every single day. As a proud One Nation Conservative MP, I am committed to the politics of inclusion and fairness. That has always been my mission and my pledge as a public servant. And it continues to my deepest pledge now.

As many have highlighted, the need for reform is urgent and change must not be delayed yet again. Whether it is making black history mandatory in the national curriculum, the freezing of exporting anti-crowd equipment to US police forces or ongoing reviews of stop-and-search, we need change and I will continue to raise these issues and all proposals directly with Ministers, the Cabinet and at the very highest levels of Government. My vow when I was elected to Parliament ten years ago was to always be Mid Norfolk's representative in Westminster and never the other way round.

I am no longer a member of the Government and so have no direct power or influence over policy. But, rest assured, I will always stand up from the backbenches and make sure the voices of all those in Mid Norfolk are heard.

The lockdown has hit our local economy VERY hard, and many businesses have had to close for 3 months. 

No sector has been hit harder than hospitality and tourism (still Norfolk’s No 1 revenue generator and employer). 

That’s why it is vital that we help our tourism and hospitality sector back on its feet with a clear Plan and Timetable for reopening.  

Businesses need to clarity so that they can unfurlough/hire staff and plan for opening.

I think we should be looking at: 

1. Removing the 2m rule and replacing it with a 1m rule
2. Allowing all tourist and hospitality sites to reopen provided they can enforce 1m – with facemasks for staff and as much hospitality OUTSIDE as possible 

With close monitoring of the infection Rate so local public health officials can spot any localised spike and allow councils to move to impose local restrictions where necessary. 

If pubs and restaurants and venues know they could be shut down or restricted if there is a local spike in infections they are likely to be very careful to avoid that. 

Please be assured that I will continue to follow this very closely.