Our new Councillors at County Hall have elected Mick Barton as Leader of the Council to take our vision forward. Mick has decades of experience as a Councillor, also having experience as Deputy Mayor of Mansfield. I have full faith that Mick Barton, along with our new Councillors, will deliver on the huge mandate given to them by Nottinghamshire.
We've already began to start making a few changes, as Reform UK-controlled councils are moving at speed to ensure that the only flags permitted to be flown on or in its buildings will be the Union Jack and the St George’s flag. No other flags will be permitted to be flown. Our new Councillors have also been instructed to attend diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) training as well as climate change training. To that end, our new councillors have refused to participate, we believe that all people should be treated equally. We have also vowed to resist all asylum hotels in our council areas by using any means at our disposal.
There is still much more work to be done of course, here in Nottinghamshire we face the monumental challenges of fixing our roads, trimming down the fat of council waste, making sure there is adequate provision for adult social care, childcare and special education needs, making sure our transport infrastructure is up to standard, and much more. I have faith that our new Reform-led councils will deliver the kind of change that people want.
Last week, the Labour Party has signed a new trade agreement with India. Free trade with India is largely a good thing, but I was shocked to learn that part of the trade agreement is that Indian workers in the UK, as well as their employers, will be exempt from paying National Insurance for three years. This is despite the Government having raised National Insurance contributions for Brits not long ago. This deal will mean that overall it will be about 20% cheaper for companies to hire Indian workers than British workers. Not to mention that this will encourage further immigration to the UK. This deal is a betrayal of British workers and of British people. Fresh off of a huge defeat in the local elections last week, the Labour Party still has not learned that immigration matters. It is the biggest political issue of the last two decades, and it is only Reform UK that has a plan to stop this crisis.
Just last week I asked Health Secretary Wes Streeting if he would commit to ending health tourism by requiring people who come to the UK to provide health insurance or be refused entry. This is the standard for most countries. He agreed it was a good idea, but he would not commit to it as it would probably upset his backbench Labour MPs. They have no plan to stop this immigration crisis. Britain needs Reform.