Having led the call for the Government to abandon the original Labour plans to decimate the Coastguard, Sheryll Murray MP welcomes press reports that this has now happened.
The South East Cornwall MP who lost her commercial fisherman husband to the sea earlier in the year had led calls both in the House and in responses to the consultation to abandon. Consistently speaking up for the coastguard Sheryll has said that, “I do not believe that the coast of Devon and Cornwall can be served well by one station alone that operates from Southampton.”
She also warned Ministers that “The sea can be the most beautiful place in which anybody can spend their time, but it can change quickly-believe me, I know after living for 25 years in fear of seeing the sea change overnight or within hours. One thing my experience has taught me is that we must have respect for the sea at all times” calling the sea “one of the most dangerous but beautiful elements in the world.”
In a statement made today Sheryll said, “Reports in the press that Coastguard stations have been saved is great news. I now call on all South West MPs to get behind the call to abandon the old Labour plan to close our Coastguard stations. My husband was a great advocate of the Coastguard service and I know he would welcome what appears to be a very positive move. Until official confirmation is received we must keep up the pressure.”
The Times has reported that a Whitehall source said, “the arguments about the need for local knowledge to be retained were strong and in the end we had to listen to them”. This echoes exactly what Sheryll said in the House when she said, “I believe that just a couple of minutes' delay in a very cold sea can make the difference between someone surviving or not” referring to the need for local knowledge highlighting that, “many names of familiar landmarks that can be used to identify a position at sea are often pronounced differently.”
The Times’ Whitehall source confirmed, “This was never going to save much money and was originally a Labour plan. There is a need for reforming the service to bring it up to date, but we do not need to go as far as the original consultation suggested.”
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For further information please contact Sheryll’s office on 01579 344428.