Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

The horseracing industry owes its survival to a vigorous campaign in the early 1990s. The imposition of VAT at source with the arrival of the Single European Market meant a hugely higher rate of VAT on bloodstock sales in the UK compared to France and Ireland which had obtained a special low VAT derogation. It would have meant the movement abroad of much of the industry.

Being on the Employment Select Committee, I asked the then Chairman Greville Janner if we could investigate the consequences of this. He allowed me to chair a Committee which recommended that VAT could be a legitimate business expense for valid racehorse ownership. After a fierce campaign, that view was accepted. Since then successive sympathetic moves have been made by Government, and the industry has not only survived but has prospered.

It has also turned itself into a much more family friendly leisure activity so attendances have gone up, and racehorse ownership has grown too. For Newmarket, in my constituency, this has been a tremendous boost for which the racing fraternity remains grateful.

Our breeding and bloodstock industry is arguably the best in the world, and racing here is very well regulated. It is no longer viewed as a rather eccentric marginal activity. It was just such a pleasure to see the crowds at Cheltenham yesterday. It really is a great British success story.

I jokingly asked a Labour whip the day before the vote whether he had a knuckle-duster ready for use. He rather sardonically replied that it would take a bit more than that…..

The Liberal Democrats, all over the place and increasingly marginalised and irrelevant, argued that we had to wait until 2010 to decide, a view more to do with their own divisions. The overall majority was made possible by the Conservative vote, not a joyous moment for the Government. Labour MPs not only looked at the future of Trident per se, but also had the opportunity of giving the Prime Minister a bruising. Discipline within the party is breaking down as Labour MPs look beyond the Blair reign.

When the wheels begin to come off a Government, they continue to do so. If Gordon thinks he will restore calm, trust and discipline to his Party he has an unwelcome surprise ahead of him. The vote was simply another sign of more to come.

Has North Korea been persuaded to abandon its nuclear ambitions because it realised that it was getting nowhere or because after its missile testing other countries became really very anxious to talk? Perhaps we shall never know the answer, and as yet do not know if the eventual outcome will be a sustained success for the dialogue and agreement.

Yesterday, the Korean ambassador laid out the whole series of actions which are occurring under the agreement; it includes denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, normalisation of relations with Japan, and with the USA, economic and energy cooperation. The South Koreans are supplying fuel and fertiliser to the North.

Why did the Americans change tack and become more accommodating too? Pressure from the Chinese, or was it the trauma of Iraq? Whatever the reason, if we have moved back from the brink, this says something about patient diplomacy and persistence of objective. The moral of the story is clear elsewhere. 

Yesterday an extraordinarily successful conference on green growth took place in London opened by George Osborne and at which David Cameron spoke. It is he in particular who has driven on the green debate in political circles.

The line up of speakers was impressive – Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco,, Stanley Fink of Man Group, Eddie O’ Connor of Airtricity and James Murdoch of BSkyB. All in their different ways are promoting a green agenda in their businesses, and responding to market forces. We now need to look at problem areas like regulation, taxation, planning and requisite skills – how government nationally and locally interact, and then in turn do so with business.

Canvassing at the weekend revealed how really dismissive Labour supporters are of this Government. It may be that it is Governments that lose elections, but an Opposition can make it easier. By capturing the green initiative David Cameron has not only changed the profile of the Conservative Party, but actively raised public awareness of one of the great challenges of our times. 

On Friday, I sat in on a meeting between a GP, a specialist police officer and a young man with significant problems. He came from a local wholly dysfunctional family, immersed in substantial abuse and criminality. He had been a prolific offender to feed a heroin addiction costing about £65 per day. It ruined his life. He is on methadone and diazepan but still buys a limited quantity of heroin from time to time. He has been warned that this is life threatening. He is struggling to cope with household bills. Mercifully, he is off crime.

Incredibly he was encouraged by a bank to open an account and was given a credit card. That pushed him into overspending. The GP and the police officer were helping him on every level. It was moving and yet very depressing; it was part of a focused crime relief effort.

Drugs are the root cause of so much youth crime. Throwing people into jail will achieve little if not complemented by specific educational, health, crime reduction and rehabilitation objectives. We fail to get a grip on this at our peril. 

This morning is a very important one in the life of the people of Newmarket. The future of the local hospital is being considered by the Health Scrutiny Committee at Suffolk County Council. I shall be present and will speak.

Suffolk’s NHS is in a huge financial crisis. They want to remove community beds from local hospitals in the county. However, the hospital in Newmarket is only eleven years old and provides very valuable diagnostic, therapeutic and outreach care. The town’s GPs want to establish a facility on site. This would provide a seamless range of primary and intermediate care facilities, including step-down beds, which is exactly what current NHS opinion favours. A long and hard battle has been fought, hugely demoralising to the wonderful caring staff at the hospital.

We read about hospital closures……this is always a matter of vital concern to the local community. Let us hope that commonsense prevails today. 

If London has a reputation for fog (it isn’t true) then Brussels has a reputation for rain (it is). Yesterday in Brussels David Cameron and the Czech Prime Minister launched the Movement for European Reform. We cheerfully filled a Eurostar carriage with business people, academics and politicians.

David cited two huge challenges for Europe – what global competition is doing to the long term prosperity of Europe; environment and climate change, and global poverty – all of which interconnect. He also talked about reversing and bringing back powers to member states, as in social and employment legislation. Meanwhile, some European politicians are still trying to create a constitutional structure which really has nothing to do with these issues.

It was an upbeat and optimistic occasion, with some excellent panel discussions. Everybody talks of the need for reform, at least now the stepping stones to this have been clearly laid out. We cannot simply wish the European Union away, as some would do. We can however, begin to talk about the real problems and opportunities which challenge us in Europe in the twenty first century, and show the leadership which has been sorely lacking from this Government.

The history of the Liberal Democrats propping up unpopular administrations is well known. It was deeply damaging to their cause when they kept the previous Labour Government in office. They paid a big price. They did the same in Suffolk, propping up a particularly inept County Council.

The threat to most Liberal Democrat MPs is from the Conservatives, which may in part account for their rejecting the so-called equidistance stance. It is very unwise of Ming to rule out effectively a relationship with anybody other than a Labour government. If, say, at the next General Election, Labour emerges as the largest single party that in itself would indicate very much less support for Labour. They would surely use the Liberals much more than Blair flattered Ashdown who got nothing. It is unclear whether Ming would fight for proportional representation, which is anathema to most Labour and all Tory MPs.

As the Government becomes less and less competent and more and more unpopular, the electorate will have a simple choice. Ming’s weekend speech showed some very sloppy thinking from somebody with such extensive parliamentary experience. What they say in future is simply likely to be much less listened to. 

There are two adjacent men’s jails in West Suffolk – one, HMP Highpoint, has been around for many years and at one time enjoyed a reputation for easy escapes.

It is extraordinary how the composition of the 800 or so in the jail have changed over the years – nearly half are from ethnic minorities, many from religious minority groups, and nearly 200 are foreigners. Because of its location near the road and open fields even the most sophisticated fencing has not fully prevented a variety of items being hurled over. There is comprehensive drug testing.

Recently an inmate, Mark Ryder,a convicted murderer, whilst visiting Cambridge absconded, and somehow landed up in Spain. I simply cannot get answers as to how his unbelievable travel arrangements came about, another symptom of the shambles in the Home Office. He has yet to be interviewed about his, six weeks on!

Prison officers have to deal with some extremely difficult customers. They are the forgotten end of the criminal justice system, and frankly have at times a truly terrible job to do. I was reminded of just this when I visited the prison on Friday. 

For some time the Conservative Party has had headquarters in Victoria Street, after leaving Smith Square.

In some peoples’ eyes, the Smith Square building had become hexed. Yes there are memories of previous election victories immortalised in film and photographs, and the celebrations that took place in that building. More latterly there were no parties or celebrations. Moreover the various nooks and crannies of the building were filled, at times, with small groups sharing their gripes. Today the only huddles you see are furrow-browed Labour MPs earnestly in conversation in the corridors of the House of Commons, grinding their teeth at what is happening to their Party.

This weekend CCHQ moves to Millbank Tower, scene of the build up to the immense election success of Labour in 1997. Having sold Smith Square and  replenished the Conservative Party’s coffers, by comparison Labour languishes in even greater dependence on the trade unions.

The occupation of Millbank Tower by the Conservative Party may well be a defining and symbolic moment reflecting what is going to happen at the next General Election. About that Messrs Clarke and Milburn would, I suspect, fully agree.