PM defended for refusal to visit stricken areas
THE ENVIRONMENT Secretary has defended Boris Johnson for defying calls to visit flood-stricken communities in the wake of Storm Dennis.
George Eustice insisted the Prime Minister had raised incoming storms as the “first thing” on his agenda after being appointed to the role in the recent reshuffle.
The Prime Minister has faced criticism for remaining in the Foreign Secretary’s Chevening country estate in Kent rather than visiting regions including Yorkshire, South Wales and the Midlands.
“It’s not true that the Prime Minister’s not been engaged in this,” Mr Eustice told Sky’s Sophy
Ridge On Sunday. “From the very moment he appointed me he’s been engaged.”
The Cabinet Minister insisted the Government is “not a oneman show” and said the national response centre has been stood up to tackle the devastation.
Mr Eustice was pressed on why the Prime Minister has not been seen in public in nine days, in stark contrast to during flooding in the election period when he visited Yorkshire and called an emergency Cobra meeting.
He said that was because election campaigning rules meant there was “less ministerial involvement”, so “there was seen to be something of a slow start”.
“That’s why, because of the criticism, the Prime Minister in that instance did stand up Cobra,” he said, adding that it has not been “necessary this time” because of the existing national flood response centre.
“We didn’t need to stand up a separate Cabinet Office infrastructure in the form of Cobra because you already had one dedicated to floods that was operating.”
It comes as a Dutch expert has suggested that Britain should be preparing for seas and tidal rivers to rise by up to 6.5ft (2m) by 2100 – nearly twice the Met Office’s worst-case predictions.
The forecast by Peter Glas, head of Holland’s Delta Programme, suggests towns along estuaries – Hull has the second highest number of properties at flood risk outside London – inundated, and others on inland tidal rivers wrecked, The Sunday Times reported.
On Saturday Hampton Bishop in Herefordshire was the last place in England to have a severe flood warning removed, meaning there is a danger to life, following the latest storm.
Yesterday afternoon there were still 37 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, in force in Yorkshire, with the majority, 24, in North Yorkshire, and 11, in East Yorkshire.
The Met Office said yesterday after today’s rain and snow the rest of the week should be drier.
“There will be showers every day, but it will be a much drier week,” said a spokesman.
“That should allow rivers to recover.”