Tories could’ve stopped chaos

While the immediate cause of severe disruption of our roads is the cancellation of P&O sailings, Conservative MPS and Conservative county councillors are at fault for failing to obtain the investment east Kent has needed to cope with any interruption in the flow of goods across the Channel.

We have known for years that trouble arises at frequent although not always predictable intervals – for instance from fishermen blockading Calais. We have also known that children’s services are under huge pressure because Kent is not adequately supported to cope with the pressures created by being the frontier county with France, largely because Conservative MPS would bleat if a proper dispersion process meant their constituencies shared Kent’s burden.

The referendum result should have been a wake-up call. Leaving the EU was certain to cause some pressure on Dover.

In 2016, the politicians running Kent – then all Conservative – should have pressed for such long overdue investment as upgrading the Brenley corner junction at the end of the M2 and creating a major lorry park facility. If that was at Manston, the Sandwich bypass should have been dualled.

Although P&O’S outrageous conduct has nothing to with Brexit, additional Brexit-related checks are adding to difficulties and we can anticipate serious dislocation when the full range of checks is brought into effect and traffic increases over the summer.

While our politicians dithered, their opposite numbers in France and the Netherlands made sure facilities were provided.

In 2017, if even half Kent’s 16 Conservative MPS had put their duty to their constituents before party, and in some cases their personal ambitions, they would have had equal clout to the eight DUP MPS and could have forced an equal financial commitment to preparing Kent to that given to Northern Ireland (£1 billion).

We are now all paying for the moral and political cowardice of a small clique of Conservative politicians.

Joe Egerton

Palace Street, Canterbury