A pleasure to visit Midhurst Rother College last week and to meet with Mr Edwards to hear what makes this outstanding school succeed in giving an education to so many young people. I was particularly impressed to hear how the college has strict rules about mobile phones (which must be switched off and kept securely in bags) during school hours. This is an existing college rule but similar to a law which I have supported in Parliament to make the same approach mandatory. Our children and young people only get one ‘shot’ at their education and clear boundaries from the distraction that phones can present during lessons are absolutely essential if we want them to thrive academically and socially.
I wrote last week of my opposition to ID cards in anticipation of the government’s later announcement. I was even interviewed on GB News about this. To be clear, given the huge number of emails I have received: I am opposed and will not support any resolution in Parliament to mandate them. This topic came up in the recent public ‘In Conservation’ that I held in Midhurst and when the moderator, Editor Gary Shipton, put it to a show of hands, well over two thirds of residents were similarly opposed. That strong local feeling reflects a wider concern about personal freedoms and unnecessary bureaucracy. If the issue is illegal working, there are far better measures which could work immediately such as deportation or greater Home Office compliance visits to nail bars, barber shops, car washes and construction sites. There are sectors where a small number of law breakers undermine the far larger number of legitimate businesses playing by the rules, and it is only fair that enforcement focuses on those who deliberately flout the law rather than imposing blanket measures on everyone.
Finally, a reminder that you can subscribe for my monthly non-party-political newsletter via my website to stay in touch with what I am doing locally and in Westminster on your behalf, including updates on schools, policing, and community priorities.
