My response to Labour's desperate spin on the Mersey Gateway

I have sent the following letter to the Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News in response to their front page story this week (see entry from Thursday 25th February);

Last week’s lead story in the Weekly News proves a point; Labour will stop at nothing to get re-elected.

Labour MP, Phil Woolas’ comments about the Mersey Gateway being at risk if my party gets into government are very wide of the mark. My colleague, Bob Neill MP, summed it up perfectly when he said “Phil Woolas is talking rubbish. Labour’s regional planning quangos don’t build anything, but just add another layer of planning red tape.”

Last week’s story was well-timed. It came in the same edition of the Weekly News that I wrote; “I believe that all of us campaigning in 2010 owe it to the voters to be up front about the choices we are offering and not try to frighten them with false threats and artificial dividing lines.” I am disappointed the Labour Party does not agree.

I am proud of my support for the Mersey Gateway project since my selection in Halton in November 2008. I will continue to fight for it during the election campaign and beyond.

In this forthcoming election, I urge the people of Halton to listen to what candidates and parties are actually saying and doing, not to listen to desperate spin. I urge them to use their vote on Election Day to give Halton and the country the change it desperately needs.

Yours sincerely,
Ben Jones
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Halton

Labour tries more spin; this time on the Mersey Gateway

The following story has appeared in the Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News (including a quote from me). It is another example of Labour saying anything to cling to power:

Labour accuses Tories of jeopardising Mersey Gateway project

WIDNES and Runcorn’s £431m Mersey Gateway bridge project could be at risk if the Conservatives come to power.

The claim comes from Labour chiefs who are horrified at Tory plans to scrap regional government powers.

Last week a document leaked to Planning Magazine revealed that the Conservatives would abolish regional government ‘regional spatial strategies’ (RSS) which lay out plans to develop regions over 15-20 years.

A Mersey Gateway spokesman said the RSS contributed £4m to the bridge development costs and played a big part in assessing and scrutinising the scheme’s blueprints.

Phil Woolas, Labour’s North West minister, warned construction would ‘grind to a halt’ and said major regional projects, including the bridge, would be at risk.

He said: “It would be absolute chaos if the Tories did this. And the immediate impact would be that the construction industry would grind to a halt.

“How would you build the Mersey Gateway or electrify the Liverpool to Manchester rail line? It is also nonsense to suggest this would hand powers to local authorities – those powers would simply go back to Whitehall.”

But a Mersey Gateway team spokesman said it is impossible to tell whether preparations for the bridge would have gone ahead if there was no RSS, and that central Government, not regional, has the final decision on giving the go-ahead, regardless of who is in power.

Ben Jones, Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, said he has already argued for the importance of the second bridge to Shadow Transport Minister Stephen Hammond, who agreed that building the bridge was ‘an important project’.

Bob Neill, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Planning, said: “Phil Woolas is talking rubbish. Labour’s regional planning quangos don’t build anything, but just add another layer of planning red tape.”

http://www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk/runcorn-widnes-news/runcorn-widnes-local-news/2010/02/25/labour-accuses-tories-of-jeopardising-mersey-gateway-project-55368-25906127/

Devolution; your question

I was asked last week "will the Conservatives carry on with New labour's asymmetric devolution that makes the English 4th class citizens in their own country?". This question was posed in relation to my recent posting on asbestos compensation.

We are committed to making devolution work across the United Kingdom but believe there is still work to be done in relation to the West Lothian Question.

We do not want expensive regional assemblies or an English Parliament.

The government continues to use MPs who serve Scottish constituencies to get it's legislation affecting England through Parliament; this is not fair and undermines the Union. We have more work to do on these important issues and will continue to consider how best to fix the mess that Labour's constitutional meddling since 1997 has created.

Response to Halton Labour Party Chair

I have sent the following letter to the Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News in response to the letter from Bill Woolfall;

I read local Labour Party Chair Bill Woolfall’s letter in last week’s Weekly News with interest.

Mr Woolfall, like many of his Labour Party colleagues, appears to wish to talk about the 1980’s and 1990’s rather than the current government’s record since 1997 and the real choice that is being offered to the electorate. I understand why the Labour Party wishes to fight the 1997 election again, but unfortunately for them we are about to fight the 2010 election.

I believe that all of us campaigning in 2010 owe it to the voters to be up front about the choices we are offering and not try to frighten them with false threats and artificial dividing lines. We should be talking about how we tackle our £178 billion debt crisis, how we deliver a credible plan for growth and jobs, and how we properly support our troops and their families. That is what the Conservatives will be talking about between now and the election; not who did what twenty years ago.

I urge the people of Halton to use their vote on Election Day to give Halton and the country the change it desperately needs.

Yours sincerely,
Ben Jones
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Halton

Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News; bus passes

The Weekly News printed my letter on bus passes and policies for pensioners;

Asbestos pleural plaques

I recently received a question in relation to my party’s position on compensation for people suffering from asbestos pleural plaques. I have set this out below:

On the basis of certain High Court decisions in the 1980s, it was possible for damages to be awarded for negligent exposure to asbestos which had led to the presence of pleural plaques. However, following a House of Lords ruling in 2007 that the presence of pleural plaques does not constitute actionable or compensatable damage, this is no longer possible.

The Conservatives sympathise with those who have been exposed to asbestos, and understand that this is a very sensitive issue for many. We do believe, however, that pleural plaques should be based on the clinical evidence. It is important that a clear distinction should be made between pleural plaques as a benign condition, pleural plaques where there is a physical impairment, and other asbestos related diseases.

The Shadow Justice Team are aware of the concerns surrounding this matter and will take them into account when dealing with this sensitive issue.

Widnes and Runcorn World; letter printed on Trident and overseas aid

The Widnes and Runcorn World has printed my letter on Trident and overseas aid (please see blog on Saturday 6th February);

http://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/yoursay/yourletters/4952647.This_is_where_we_stand_on_issues/

Widnes and Runcorn World; letter printed on bus passes

The Widnes and Runcorn World has printed my letter on bus passes (please see blog on Saturday 6th February);

http://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/yoursay/yourletters/5001781.We_promise_to_look_after_Halton_s_pensioners/

Weekly News; Halton Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Ben Jones briefs Shadow Transport Minister Stephen Hammond on the Mersey Gateway Project

HALTON Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Ben Jones has briefed Shadow Transport Minister Stephen Hammond on the Mersey Gateway Project.

The would-be MP reiterated his support for the project and gave Mr Hammond a full briefing on the project’s transport and regeneration opportunities.

Afterwards he said: “The Mersey Gateway project is a vitally important transport and regeneration project for my constituency and the North West region.

“It will help to alleviate traffic congestion, support local businesses to be more competitive, act as a catalyst for regeneration throughout the area, and create new jobs. This much-needed and long overdue development is welcomed by local people and those across the political spectrum.”

He continued: “This is more than a bridge – it has the potential to be a catalyst that will connect communities and lead regeneration and investment throughout Halton and the North West.”

He added: “It is a testament to the commitment of the Conservative Party to the project and the North West that Stephen made the time to talk in detail about this issue.”

http://www.runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk/runcorn-widnes-news/runcorn-widnes-local-news/2010/02/11/halton-conservative-parliamentary-candidate-ben-jones-briefs-shadow-transport-minister-stephen-hammond-on-the-mersey-gateway-project-55368-25806456/

Labour spin on bus passes for Halton pensioners

I understand that in their desperate attempt to cling to power the Labour Party is misrepresenting Conservative Party policy on free bus passes for pensioners. A number of people in Halton have asked me to clarify the position. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.

The Conservative Party supports the pensioners’ concessionary bus fare scheme. I can reassure pensioners in Halton that the next Conservative Government has no plans to abolish free off-peak bus travel for people over 60.

It is also worth pointing out that it is the Labour Party who plan to cut Disability Living and Attendance Allowance for over 65s, wrecking their chances of living independently, and it’s the Conservatives who plan to raise the basic state pension by restoring the link with earnings. We also plan to protect the Winter Fuel Payment and will introduce a new entitlement for every household to be fitted with up to £6,500 of approved energy efficiency improvements.

I urge the people of Halton not to believe the Government’s desperate spin on this and other issues, but to listen to what the Conservative Party actually says so they can make an informed choice on Election Day. I hope they will use this choice to give Halton and the country the change it desperately needs.

Letter in Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News

The following letter was printed in this week's Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News:

Two letters in last week’s Weekly News particularly caught my eye. The first, from D Alder, asked the views of Halton’s Parliamentary Candidates in relation to Trident and Britain nuclear deterrent. The second, from Harold Mercer, misrepresented the Conservative Party’s position on overseas aid. I thought it would be helpful to reply to both.

On Trident; I support the replacement of the Trident nuclear system. I also support the Proliferation Treaty and would welcome a reduction in our weapons arsenal, but I believe that Britain needs it own, independent, modern, nuclear deterrent. I hope we never have to use it, but I believe we should always have it to safeguard the security of our people.

On overseas aid, the position is very different from that set out by Mr Mercer. We have promised to protect two budgets if we come into office; health and overseas aid. We are committed to achieving the UN target of spending 0.7% of national income on aid by 2013. Our top priority will be to ensure that every single pound of taxpayers' money delivers the maximum impact. We will move towards results-based aid, where money is handed to governments only when development results have been achieved. We will focus our aid on the countries where it will make the biggest difference, and spend £500 million a year to save lives by tackling malaria; a cause championed by local Conservative MP Stephen O’Brien. We believe in honouring our obligations to the poorest around the world.

As the people of Halton decide who to support at the next election, I believe they deserve the very best information about those of us who seek their vote. I am hoping to have a number of opportunities to debate with my fellow candidates during the campaign to discuss these issues and many others, meet with as many voters as possible on the doorstep (as I have been doing since November 2008) and answer your questions (which you could email me via my blog; http://benjaminjohnjones.blogspot.com).

This election offers us the perfect opportunity to give Halton and the country the change it desperately needs. I hope that together we can take it.

Yours sincerely,
Ben Jones
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Halton

Hillsborough panel; first meeting

I am delighted that the Hillsborough Panel held its first meeting today. Like so many people, I hope that it will be able to help the families and all of us get to the truth about what happened on that terrible day nearly twenty-one years ago.

Mersey Gateway; meeting in Westminster

Earlier this week, I met Shadow Transport Minister, Stephen Hammond MP, to brief him on the Mersey Gateway Project.

I reiterated my support for the project and provided Stephen with a full briefing on the project’s transport and regeneration opportunities for Halton and the surrounding area.

During the discussion I said: “The Mersey Gateway project is a vitally important transport and regeneration project for my constituency and the North West region. It will help alleviate traffic congestion, support local businesses to be more competitive, act as a catalyst for regeneration throughout the area, and create new jobs. This much-needed and long over-due development is welcomed by local people and those across the political spectrum.”

I explained to Stephen that this is more than a bridge; it has the potential to be a catalyst that will connect communities and lead regeneration and investment throughout Halton and the North West.

I am upbeat about our discussions and delighted that Stephen took the time to hear about this vital project for the people of Halton. Following the briefing Stephen said; “It was extremely helpful to discuss this important project in detail with Ben; I am looking forward to reading the report of the public inquiry and the next Conservative Government considering how best to take the project forward.”