Britain’s response was too slow, say MPS as Navy finally arrives
By Steven Swinford deputy political editor and Ben Farmer defence correspondent
BRITAIN’S response to Hurricane Irma has been “found wanting” and many UK territories in the Caribbean are in “grave need”, senior MPS have said.
Tom Tugendhat, a Tory MP and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Stephen Twigg, a Labour MP and chairman of the international development committee, said the UK’S response “requires improvement”.
Their comments came as the Royal Navy yesterday arrived at the British Virgin Islands to scenes of devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. The support ship RFA Mounts Bay arrived off the coast of the British overseas territory and hundreds of British troops last night began arriving in the Caribbean.
HMS Ocean, due to be retired next year, has been redirected to sail across the Atlantic after picking up Chinook helicopters in Gibraltar to join the relief effort. Naval sources said RFA Mounts Bay had arrived at the British Virgin Islands after dropping off aid at Anguilla. In a letter to Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, and Priti Patel, the International Development Secretary, Mr Tugendhat and Mr Twigg say: “The devastation caused by Hurricane Irma has been greater than expected.
“It has left thousands without shelter, power, and the supplies needed to survive. It has also seen many responses tested, and some found wanting.
“We are concerned that many in the UK’S overseas territories in the Caribbean are still in grave need. In Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos, our response still requires improvement and the arrival of HMS Ocean in two weeks’ time will be later than any of us would wish. Experts and many in the area have been critical of the overall level of relief currently on offer as well as the apparent lack of forward-thinking once the storm’s route to Florida became more than just a possibility.”
The Government announced a military task group earlier this week after its emergency response was criticised.
Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said: “Mounts Bay is there and has been helping the people of Anguilla, getting emergency supplies ashore, and she’s now moving on to the British Virgin Islands to assist there and we will be sending further planes today, transporting engineers and medics and emergency shelter, to get help where it’s needed.”
Responding to accusations of a slow British response, he said: “We had a ship in the region ready to help with a helicopter, ready to provide help where needed, and we’re backing that up and are determined to get as much help as possible to the people of those islands.”