‘I’m backing police and city would be ideal 2nd home for Home Office’

WHEN I stood for election one of my priorities was to back our police. Since then I have been privileged enough to meet some of the inspiring police officers working to keep us all safe in Stoke-on-trent, Kidsgrove and Talke.

To deliver on my promise, a few weeks ago I voted in favour of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Plenty of false information has been put out about this new law.

It will not, as some claim, prevent people from being able to protest, which will always be a fundamental freedom. Put simply, it will introduce tougher sentences for the worst criminals, such as rapists, child abusers and killer drivers, and give our police and courts the powers they need to keep our streets safe.

This Bill holds special significance for me. My grandfather, Terry, was a Royal Marine, and my hero growing up. My great-great uncle Alan Gulis is a D-day veteran.

When I saw people disrespecting memorials to heroes like Terry and Alan, who sacrificed so much for our country, I could not stand idly by.

For the last year I have been working to get better protection for our nation’s war memorials and war graves. Following discussions with the Home Office my Desecration of War Memorials Bill has been adopted by the Government.

Memorials will now get the protection they deserve, with tougher sentences for those who desecrate them.

I proudly voted for the new law, despite the Labour Party’s sneering.

Days later, a war memorial in Sandwell had a swastika and “**** the feds” spray painted on it – showing exactly why the new law is needed.

As well as supporting this new Bill, I am 100 per cent behind the plans to recruit an extra 20,000 police officers, of which more than 90 will be in Staffordshire.

We are making great progress, with 6,620 new officers already hired and I was delighted late last year to meet one of the new recruits in Tunstall.

Our heroic police force deserves our complete backing, and so I am thrilled they are getting a £636 million funding boost this year. On top of backing our police in Parliament, I am working on how to support our police locally to keep us all safe.

I have been calling for a new police post to be set up in Tunstall town hall, which has been newly refurbished thanks to a £4 million investment by Stoke-on-trent City Council.

This would give local people and businesses the chance to meet our police face-to-face, without taking warranted officers off our streets for hours on end. Like the people of Stoke-on-trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke, I want to see more bobbies on the beat.

I am also very pleased that alongside the town hall refurbishment the city council has agreed to upgrade the CCTV that overlooks the square, where I know there have been incidents involving anti-social behaviour. To round off this work, I can think of no better place for the Home Office’s second home than here in Stoke-on-trent. We are blessed with great transport links, with the A50, M6, and a fast, direct train into central London.

We are a tour de force in the Midlands Engine and gatekeeper to the Northern Powerhouse. With many skilled people locally, a location at the heart of the country and much greater affordability than London, we have so much to offer. Traditionally, decision makers have thought ‘outside London’ means Birmingham or Manchester. Under this Government this is no longer the case.

As with the Treasury’s move to Teesside, such a move to Stoke-on-trent would bring higher skilled, higher paid jobs to our local area and give Stokies the opportunities they deserve.

I am pleased to say we have had positive discussions about this with ministers, including the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, above, who still holds great affection for Stokeon-trent after her days at Keele University, and Lord Agnew, who is running the Places for Growth programme. Securing a move for the civil service to Stoke-on-trent would prove that we are on the up to levelling up.