Tony Vaughan KC MP

Our judiciary is world renowned.

Yet this man wants to hand pick our judges and destroy centuries of judicial independence. It would be a full-scale assault on British democracy and our values. Judges should be picked on merit, not ideology - and Jenrick knows it.

#Jenrick

Two years on from Hamas's horrific terrorist attack on Israel, we remember those who lost their lives. We also remember the victims’ families, and those still held hostage.

I am committed to a lasting peace, a two-state solution, and a secure future for both Israelis and Palestinians.

- Improving water quality: £104 billion nationally
- New nuclear projects: £30 billion nationally

More is yet to come, such as the hopeful restoration of international rail at Ashford International.

This is a Government not procrastinating, but acting.

#Labour #Folkestone #Hythe #RomneyMarsh

How have Folkestone, Hythe, and Romney Marsh benefited from Government infrastructure investment since Labour came to power?

- East Kent Hospitals Trust: £13 million
- Flood defences in our area: £2.8 million
- Filling potholes: £67 million across Kent

Israeli drone strikes kill five, including children, in southern Lebanon, ministry says An Israeli drone strike killed five people, including three children, in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil on Sunday, Lebanon's health ministry said.

I condemn the latest Israeli military offensive in Gaza City on Sunday, which killed 31 Palestinians.

I am also horrified by the latest Israeli strike in Lebanon which killed 3 children.

www.reuters.com/world/middle...

When I first met Palestinian Ambassador last year, he said that the single most important diplomatic step the UK could take would be to recognise Palestine as a State.

We have.

There can be no two state solution without recognising Palestine’s right to exist.

#Palestine #Palestinianrecognition

And it was always obvious that the agreement would need to be tested in the courts before removals took place - that was the whole point of it being a pilot project.

The Tories' disastrous Brexit project ripped up our returns agreement with the EU.

It took a Labour Government to sort out their mess and negotiate a new deal with France.

This would never have been possible had we left the European Convention on Human Rights, as the Tories and Reform would like.

Yesterday, I met with KCC Cllr David Wimble at my invitation in Parliament.

David and I disagree on many things. But we do agree that politics should serve the people of Romney Marsh, Hythe and Folkestone.

I look forward to a new chapter of civility and cooperation going forward.

Fighting for Ashford.

We delivered a letter yesterday to the regulator to stress the incredible economic and social benefits of opening up competition and making the right decision for Kent.
#Ashfordinternational #Eurostar #Kent #Labour #Folkestone #Hythe #RomneyMarsh

Because of Bridget:

🍽️Half of all schoolchildren in #Folkestone, #Hythe and #RomneyMarsh now get free school meals.

👶Parents get 30 hours of funded childcare a week.

👩‍🏫Our state schools have 6,500 more teachers.

Bridget is delivering for us.
#BackBridget

Great news for Folkestone and Hythe!
Our area has been chosen by the Government as a pioneer site to receive a new Neighbourhood Health Team.
I'm delighted that our area will help create a blueprint for better community healthcare across the country.

#NHS #Healthcare #folkestone #hythe #romneymarsh

Now we've recovered from the insomnia inducing Reform Conference, I'd like to make the serious point that Cllr Kemkaran's comments on vaccines were not only horrifically insulting to the Royal Family, they also showed Reform's health "policy" to be unserious and unsafe.

Vandalism on Royal Military Avenue.
True patriots wake up and ask themselves how they can improve their country. They do not vandalise our public infrastructure, defacing signs and costing the taxpayer money.
Vandalism is not patriotism.

The irony of Nigel Farage’s ridiculous North Korea comparison The freedoms that allow the Reform leader to make preposterous statements on the world stage – the very freedoms that distinguish us from the dicta...

The freedoms that allow the Reform leader to make preposterous statements on the world stage – the very freedoms that distinguish us from the dictatorships he carelessly invokes – are precisely the ones he seeks to dismantle.

Read my article here:

www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Democrat @raskin.house.gov excoriates Nigel Farage for banning journalists from Reform UK events:

"I'm asking you a direct question. Why do you ban journalists who oppose your views from coming to your events? Why did you tell local government not to do interviews with your local newspaper?"

Where is Farage?

He’s in US - AGAIN - this time conspiring against British online safety laws and sucking up to his tech bros.

He should be an MP instead of a wannabe MAGA VIP.

#WhereisFarage

Energy drinks are bad news for kids.

As a parent, I know that banning sales to under-16s is a long overdue step for the health and wellbeing of our young people.

One of the worst failures of the last government was closing down Sure Start.

The IFS found that for every £1 of up-front spending, the programme generated over £2 in total benefits.

This Government's Best Start programme will deliver profound educational, economic and social benefits.

Kent's measles, mumps and rubella vaccine uptake below target The World Health Organization says a 95% uptake is needed to prevent outbreaks occurring.

Have you protected your children against MMR?

Kent's MMR vaccine uptake is below the national target.

This quick, free and safe jab is our best defence against potentially serious disease.

Contact your GP to book an appointment.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article....

UK secures £10bn deal to supply Norway with warships The government says the agreement will support thousands of jobs, including more than 2,000 in Scotland.

This is a great deal for Britain!

Our defence sector has just agreed its biggest ever warship export deal with Norway.

This will generate £10 billion for the British economy. We beat the US, France and Germany to this deal.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I’d add two pretty obviously dubious claims in the PE report (read it carefully and you’ll see weasel words creeping in to hide the weaknesses): (1) that the (express) agreement to incorporate the ECHR into NI law with access to courts and remedies doesn’t mean “ECHR as interpreted by the ECtHR);

⁠I was elected on a mandate to hold the Environment Agency and Southern Water to account, to ensure that they do everything they can to improve water quality in our community.

That is why I have written to the Environment Agency to ask them to attend the next steering group meeting.

The migration deal with France shows that the UK needs the ECHR We need to move on from the implausible idea, put forward by the same people who made false Brexit promises, that UK border security depends on us ...

We need to move on from the implausible idea, put forward by those who made false Brexit promises, that UK border security depends on withdrawing from, or reforming, an international treaty

The migration deal with France shows that the UK needs the ECHR, writes Labour MP @tonyvaughanmp.bsky.social

I believe that OpBrock is the lesser of two evils, and is necessary in order to manage congestion and maintain traffic flow when we have disruptions to cross-Channel travel.

If we didn't have it, what would the alternative system look like? It's inconvenient, but it is the best option we have.

Was great to meet with Toby Howe, who is in charge of highways resilience at Kent County Council.

The main item on our agenda was Operation Brock, which I appreciate a lot of people have concerns about.

This is part of the government's mission to train up more bricklayers, roofers, and electricians so we can build 1.5 million new homes over the next four years.

Great news for North Kent College and those wanting to work in the construction sector!

North Kent College will receive a share of a £100 million government investment as it becomes one of ten specialist construction colleges across the U.K.

🔋Bring power back to Dungeness 🔋

#Nuclear #Dungeness #Romneymarsh

The PM & Foreign Secretary's announcement on the UK's position on recognition of a Palestinian state is highly significant.

The Government is rightly using recognition to put conditions on Israel that would drive desperately needed, positive changes in Gaza. This is the right step to take.