Richard Spring MP
Member of Parliament for West Suffolk

The 1970 election was won by the Conservatives against all the accepted wisdom. Harold Wilson was the calm and effective communicator, Ted Heath the unelectable Selsdon Man. Then in 1992 the Conservatives were due to lose. But against the odds and the conventional wisdom, a Conservative Government was re-elected.

In the United States, Hillary Clinton was written off in the New Hampshire primary. Two days ago we kept hearing erroneously how she was narrowing the gap in North Carolina and was well ahead in Indiana. We heard how disconsolate Barack Obama was, as blue-collar workers were deserting him. Now we know what was actually happening.

Electorates do sometimes spring surprises, despite the sophistication of psephologists. However this is not normally the case when the weather really changes, and when Governments run out of steam.

Now in Britain we may see the stirrings of economic revival in two years time, or we may not. It is a known unknown. However the extraordinary personal unpopularity of the Prime Minister, and the fact that the problems of contemporary Britain are all too often products of Government failure itself, suggests that the weather – like this week – has changed. In their hearts this is what Labour MPs feel too. And even if the Sun poll this morning exaggerates the situation, it simply illustrates this fact, based upon what MPs’ constituents are telling them.

This really was the week that was.  

Immediately after the 1997 General Election, Labour conducted a review of priorities for road-building. The Government accepted that the A11 was one of the most dangerous roads in England and certainly the most dangerous road in the East of England. As a result, the dualling of the A11 emerged as the number one priority for the whole Eastern Region. 

Since then there has been a lamentable lack of progress. Despite promises there has been endless delays. This is despite numerous visits to Ministers in London and visits to the A11 by Government Ministers as well. 

The dualling of the A11 was meant to be completed last year. The East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) did not help matters when it made a recommendation to the Government to push this scheme back by at least five years. The anticipated start date of work is now 2012/2013. 

Over the years the road has been responsible for countless serious injuries and fatalities. It is a death trap. 

Yesterday, Charles Clarke (MP for Norwich South) and I met Ruth Kelly MP, the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss our concerns. We drew attention to the fact that spending on transport in the Eastern Region is lower than elsewhere in England. This is despite a growing population. 

It was a crucial meeting. Both Charles Clarke and I did our best to try and convince the Secretary of State that urgent action is required now - not in another five years time. 

The Government have asked the East of England Regional Assembly to refresh its recommendations including the dualling of the road. I hope that EERA makes makes the A11 its number one priority. 

We shall be working considerably with the Department of Transport, the local councils and EERA, and the Highways Agency to speed this up! We want it to be built in 2010. 

Dozens and dozens of people have lost their lives on this road and the congestion is appalling. Enough is enough - we shall all work together to get this sorted as quickly as possible. 

Nothing said more last week about a certain detachment from reality than the pre local elections Newsnight interview of my parliamentary colleague and our local government spokesman, Eric Pickles. He is very calm, professional, experienced and indeed very funny. Newsnight’s penetrating insight into voters’ attitudes was a photograph of young Oxford undergraduates in tailcoats. The inference was that this would surely turn off voters. Well now we know otherwise. Eric pointed out that this simply represented an obsession of some journalists, and that quite rightly nobody ever raised any of this on the doorstep. 

There is something sad yet absolutely hilarious about the mindset of such journalists and programme directors, in the BBC and elsewhere. Nobody sane thinks that David Cameron is Leader of the Opposition because some great-uncle pulled some strings, or that George Osborne is Shadow Chancellor because of the recommendations of some mythical relation, or indeed that Boris became editor of the Spectator because his godfather had a quiet word with the proprietor. Yet presumably this is what some left wingers who inhabit our media somehow seriously think and believe that the electorate does, or should do so too. 

There is a rich irony in all of this. When Labour was last in office, with 98% taxation and a massive brain drain, social mobility was hugely impaired because of low economic growth and confiscatory taxes. It was Margaret Thatcher who actually unleashed a social revolution in this country, because people of talent were offered the opportunity to make something of their lives and for their families. 

Today under Labour social mobility has actually declined in absolute terms, and relative to other advanced countries. 

So the next time a posse of left wing media types sip their lattes in some uber-chic minimalist central London watering hole, they might just reflect that the British electorate is grown up enough to elect their leaders on merit. And despite the massive increase in state spending, higher taxation and attempts at redistribution, real social mobility is actually in decline under Labour. 

This is yet another legacy of a failed and failing Government some of whose supporters view contemporary Britain through the prism of social attitudes now totally irrelevant to the British people when they cast their votes, as we saw last week. 

On 15th May Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will be in London. Last week I secured, as Chairman of the British Ukrainian Society, a Westminster Hall debate on Ukraine. Relations between our two countries have never been better. The geopolitical importance of Ukraine is fully recognised here in the UK.

Here is my speech:

Mr. Richard Spring (West Suffolk) (Con): May I say what a pleasure it is to see you chairing our proceedings, Mrs. Anderson? I am most grateful to the Minister for being here to respond. I shall examine the bilateral relationship between the UK and Ukraine before considering developments in Ukraine itself. Some 100,000 Ukrainians live here, and a number of organisations exist to link our two countries. I should like to highlight one in particular, the Ukrainian-British City Club, which provides a lively forum for the increasing number of Ukrainians working in the City of London. There are also student groups at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and the London School of Economics.

 

Last year, the British Ukrainian Society was established to act as a bridge between our two countries and as an umbrella for the many bilateral groups here and in Ukraine. It encompasses contact at political and economic, as well as social, cultural and educational levels, and it already enjoys a considerable range of activities. I should declare an interest as the chairman of the society. I am also delighted that a course in Ukrainian language and culture has been established at the department of Slavonic studies at Cambridge.

 

Many links bind Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Whether in trade, defence, development and business or in our work through the European Union and other international bodies, the ties between the two nations are getting stronger. In recent months, London has hosted a significant number of Ukrainian events. Last month the Foreign Minister, Mr. Ogryzko, was in town. He had successful meetings with the Foreign Secretary and the shadow Foreign Secretary. To coincide with his visit, an early-day motion was tabled welcoming the important progress made by Ukraine in its democratic development and hoping that the relationship between Ukraine, the UK, NATO and the EU can be strengthened even further. It encapsulates the views of MPs across the party political divide.

 

In September, Lady Thatcher held meetings with Yuliya Tymoshenko. More recently, President Yushchenko met my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition at the World Economic Forum in Davos. It was a very successful meeting. Next month, President Yushchenko will visit Britain. One aspect of his visit will be his desire, which is felt deeply and widely in Ukraine, to publicise the famine that killed millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s: the Holodomor, which was deliberately caused by Stalin. There is a remarkable archive on the Holodomor, and an exhibition about it is being planned with the help of the embassy and the British Ukrainian Society. On Saturday, a concert is being held in London to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the famine.

 

I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Selby (Mr. Grogan), who has ably and imaginatively chaired the all-party group on Ukraine. He has done an outstanding job of bringing Ukraine alive for Members of Parliament, and I pay unreserved tribute to him for it. I am delighted that an Inter-Parliamentary Union visit to Kiev will take place in early June to build links between parliamentarians. I also welcome the formation of a new group in the Rada to forge contact and friendship between our two Parliaments.

 

The relationship between our two countries has never been better. Ukraine vividly caught the UK’s attention during the Orange revolution, when Ukrainians bravely poured on to the streets to fight for democracy. Ever since those remarkable events, Britain has supported Ukraine in its reform process. It is fair to say that no country in western Europe is keener to promote the success of Ukraine than ours. Ukraine’s geopolitical situation is fully recognised. Britain supported Ukraine’s accession to the World Trade Organisation and fully supports its aspirations to EU membership.

 

I am a governor of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which was established in 1992 to assist in building and strengthening democratic institutions overseas, particularly after the end of the cold war. We are sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and work with political parties, Parliaments and non-governmental organisations to foster democracy through training, experience sharing and mentoring in countries around the world. Since its establishment, the WFD has worked in Ukraine to support civil society organisations, political parties through direct UK political party contact, independent media and free and fair elections.

 

Despite the hope and optimism that the Orange revolution brought to Ukraine, democracy did not immediately consolidate as many first hoped. I believe that Europe did not seize quickly enough the opportunities to build on the outcome of the Orange revolution so as to entrench it, and we did not sufficiently understand its significance. Ukraine has faced teething problems, learned valuable lessons and managed to overcome many challenges thrown in its way. Through sheer determination, it has transformed itself into a new, functioning democracy. It now boasts a strong record of democratic elections, respect for human rights and free media. Of course there are sharply defined differences of view in the internal politics of Ukraine. The constitutional balance between the roles of the President and the Prime Minister is now under review.

 

The importance of Ukraine’s development goes way beyond its own national interests. Ukraine’s success provides a positive political and economic incentive to its neighbours. It could be a shining example and model for others in the region. If Ukraine succeeds, it could encourage neighbouring countries such as Belarus and Moldova to choose a similar path to success. It is therefore critical that the democratic underpinnings in place in Ukraine are firmly consolidated. Last week, I received some excellent news about an event that could go some way towards making that happen.

 

The Foreign Office plans to give the Westminster Foundation for Democracy a substantial amount of matched funding towards a parliamentary strengthening programme in Ukraine—£600,000 in total. It is a clear recognition of Ukraine’s importance that it has been singled out for the programme, and it is a hugely welcome development. As Ukraine is a new democracy, its Parliament has a limited number of people available who are experienced and knowledgeable in parliamentary practice. The pace of development in that field has been inhibited by the lack of programmes to institutionalise the experience and knowledge of Ukrainian MPs and parliamentary staff and transfer relevant knowledge and experience from more developed Parliaments. The WFD has taken the lead to form a consortium of leading UK experts in parliamentary strengthening to address more effectively the issues faced by Parliaments such as Ukraine’s.

 

Despite the political problems, the country has been enjoying strong economic growth, and the signs of prosperity are apparent. I recently attended a Ukrainian investment seminar here in London. It was evident that despite growing inflation in Ukraine, its economy as a whole continues to go from strength to strength. From January to March this year, Ukraine’s gross domestic product grew by 6 per cent. annualised.

 

The drive for reform is led in many respects by the Ukrainian business community. Ferrexpo, the UK holding company that owns Ukraine’s largest iron ore exporter, began trading last year on the London stock exchange. Many other companies have been or will be listed here in London. Despite high inflation, the Ukrainian economy demonstrated robust economic growth in 2007, higher than that of most other countries in the region and central and south-eastern Europe—an impressive performance, despite huge increases in the price of imported natural gas and high world crude oil prices.

 

Investment opportunities continue to look good for exporters and investors. Britain is the fourth largest investor in Ukraine, and there are now more than 85 companies in Ukraine with British connections, representing a cross-section of sectors. Property and real estate, trade, finance, transport and communications and machine building currently attract most of the British investment.

 

Ukraine is an attractive investment destination for a number of important reasons. Ukraine has a highly educated work force with almost 60 per cent. university enrolment, a large domestic market with increasing purchasing power, an improving business climate, relatively low wages and excellent agricultural, industrial and high-tech potential, in addition to the prolonged period of economic growth that the country has enjoyed. Because all of us as parliamentarians are so acutely aware of it, it is worth pointing out that at a time of pressure on world agricultural production, Ukraine, with its huge agricultural potential, is in an increasingly important position to take advantage of it. It is not for nothing regarded as one of the world’s bread baskets. At a time of world food shortages and ever higher prices, Ukraine has lifted grain export restrictions, which is most welcome.

 

After 14 years of negotiations, Ukraine has been accepted as a member of the World Trade Organisation. Hailed, by President Yushchenko, as a truly historic moment and a decisive milestone in the country’s development, accession has been a joint accomplishment of the past four Governments, which I greatly welcome. Analysts predict that membership of the WTO will lead to an even greater acceleration of economic growth, resulting from an increase in exports and investment as European businesses are given greater access to the Ukrainian market.

 

As a result of WTO membership, Ukraine has already started official negotiations with the European Union on creating a free trade zone, which should include not only a free trade area, but energy sphere co-operation and strengthened reform efforts and civil society in the Ukraine. President Yushchenko forecasts that the new enhanced agreement will be signed in September. We know that, despite the very considerable burden imposed by the European Commission through the Copenhagen accession criteria, the road to EU membership does encourage the political, judicial and economic reform process.

 

The EU appears to be suffering from something approaching enlargement fatigue, and the signals to Ukraine have been mixed at best. The Minister will know that enlargement commends itself to all hon. Members in the House, in contrast to attitudes prevailing in some European countries. I hope, therefore, that he will take this opportunity to reiterate our clear support for Ukraine’s EU membership objectives and our intention to work constructively to speed up the process, in the interests of Ukraine and the whole continent of Europe. If flexibility is required, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, it should be supported.

 

Ukraine’s application to join NATO is another recent development. Despite no specific date for the membership action plan, NATO’s declaration that Ukraine would eventually gain membership has been welcomed. It is the only partner country to support actively all NATO-led operations and missions, as well as practically every international peacekeeping mission under the auspices of the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The aim of NATO enlargement is a broader and more secure Europe—a goal to which Ukraine would certainly contribute.

 

All in all, in its major contribution to the peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond, Ukraine has proved to be a very valuable NATO partner. However, NATO membership would require broad support in Ukraine. The close historic ties between Russia and Ukraine, and the former’s very specific view of the latter, is a source of tension between the two countries. However, after the past delivery and payment problems with energy supplies, it is good that Ukraine has paid off its gas import debts to Russia, which I hope will result in a generally more comfortable relationship between them.

 

Undoubtedly, Ukraine has some tough choices ahead, but with its increasing economic prosperity, the chance to showcase itself to the world as host of the 2012 European football championships, and the continuing consolidation of democracy, I am optimistic that Ukraine faces a very hopeful future.

Last month I began my quest to find a local hero to join me at a National Award Ceremony at the House of Commons. The response I received was overwhelming.

West Suffolk is very lucky to have so many people who spend a considerable amount of their time and energy helping others. I am constantly amazed at the commitment of our volunteers and I’d like to congratulate everyone who was nominated this time round.

Nominations included an 80 year old gentleman who has for many years worked in the Newmarket Hospital WRVS shop, the World War II veteran who runs tea/coffee mornings for the Scout Association and the many volunteers who work tirelessly for such wonderful charities as the British Red Cross and Victim Support.

The contribution of all those nominated was so outstanding that I found it very difficult to pick a winner. However one lady’s dedication and commitment did stand out.

Mrs Gwen Dalton of Haverhill is a member of the local Residents Association and the Safer Neighbourhood Tasking Team. She has for many years worked tirelessly to improve the town and the surrounding area where she lives. Those who nominated her wrote of her heart of gold and lively enthusiasm for helping others.

I am looking forward to meeting Mrs Dalton today in the constituency to congratulate her on her nomination and finding out more about her outstanding work.  

It is volunteers who so often provide the oil in the wheels of our communities, and who are all too often unacknowledged and underappreciated. They are all local heroes.  

Throughout our history Members of Parliament have collectively been regarded as self-seeking. Snouts, greed and other similar words have freely entered the vocabulary of parliamentary comment.

Recent insupportable events have made the public even more suspicious and indeed angry, also because of the impossibly arcane way we are either remunerated or reimbursed. So reform is in the air, quite rightly, and David Cameron is leading the charge with his own MPs. I am personally only too happy and eager to comply.

Moreover in the interests of transparency, I would like to publish a couple of important elements of MPs arrangements.

Firstly, my own monthly salary. After deductions it is exactly £3,250.53. Deductions include 10% of the gross figure of £5151.67 for the parliamentary pension scheme (£515.17).

This is now what I want to examine. By June next year I will have been an MP for 17 years.  If I were to stand down as an MP then and elect to draw my pension, my pension would be £22,952.41 per annum, slightly above the average parliamentary pension. 

Now it is true that our once hugely successful national pensions arrangements have been brutally undermined by Gordon Brown when he abolished advanced corporation tax in 1997. Many, particularly younger employees, face a grim pensions future, and our national savings rate is at all time low. Of course we as MPs are well protected compared with many of our constituents, grappling with high and rising prices, but whether readers of this blog feel that my own contributory pension is generous enough to be described as  ‘platinum plated’ or a ‘goldmine’ is for them to decide. I simply state the facts.

However the biggest understandable flashpoint is reimbursement of expenses for a constituency property. MPs are now toiling with how to deal with this openly and with transparency, again quite rightly. The only point I would raise is that it would be difficult, living in London, to run a second home on £3,250.53 per month, so some form of reimbursement seems fair and reasonable.

Now nobody needs to be an MP – if we do not like the financial arrangements, we are at liberty to seek more lucrative pastures elsewhere. However there is a balance to be struck. But most crucially our electors need to be reassured. That is our fundamental responsibility.

I hope what I have written today sheds a bit of light on the matter.

Meanwhile I am off now to work in Hammersmith and Fulham to help to get Boris elected.