North Wiltshire MP, James Gray, accepted an invitation from his constituent, who is the Chairman of the S & B Automotive Academy in Bristol, to visit their excellent apprenticeship training headquarters on Friday.
Mr Gray said:
“I very much admired and appreciated the exceptionally good facilities which S & B Automotive Academy provide for a very large number of automotive apprenticeships every year. I enjoyed trying out the virtual reality auto-paint spraying machine, although suspect that I probably landed up paint-spraying the ceiling as well as the vehicle door, which I was supposed to be painting green.
“Apprenticeships are an incredibly important part of training our young people, especially in an area like this, and the S & B Automotive Academy make an outstanding contribution in the automotive apprenticeship world.”
North Wiltshire MP James Gray attended a small service at Luckington church yesterday to rededicate two graves of those who had given military service. Mr Gray read from the Gospel of St John and said afterwards:
“Self-sacrifice for the greater good of the greater number is the spirit which permeates our armed services, where huge discomfort, and of course great risk to life and limb, are accepted for the greater good of the soldier’s mates and unit, and ultimately for the greater good of Queen and Country.”
North Wiltshire MP James Gray has backed British farming at Back British Farming Day in Westminster, recognising the crucial role farmers play in producing food and caring for the countryside.
Farming is the bedrock of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector – food and drink – which contributes over £110 billion to the economy and employs 3.8 million people.
Speaking in Westminster, Mr Gray said: “I am immensely proud to wear the Back British Farming pin badge in support of a sector that is so valuable to the country. Our farmers play a unique role in securing a plentiful supply of fabulous British food, looking after our iconic countryside and sustaining a dynamic rural economy.”
“The decisions made in Parliament over the coming months are critical to the future of British food production. As one of the sectors that will be most affected by Britain’s departure from the EU, it is important that we politicians create the right regulatory environment to ensure our farmers can continue to provide safe and affordable food for the nation.”
“Food production is a vital part of everyday life and impacts on us all. I would encourage all MPs and members of the pubic to get behind this important campaign and Back British Farming.”
North Wiltshire MP James Gray spoke in the House of Commons yesterday during the debate on the Salisbury Incident. Representing all seven Members of Parliament for Wiltshire and Swindon, Mr Gray payed tribute to all those involved in the aftermath of the attack, saying:
“The first thing I think we should do, and it has been done by most speakers throughout the past couple of weeks, is pay enormous tribute to the emergency services in Wiltshire, in particular the ambulance service, the Odstock Hospital workers and the police, who did such a superb job both on the occasion itself—on the two occasions, I should say—and in the aftermath…I also pay tribute to the Army and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down. They made a huge contribution in the aftermath of the event. I also pay tribute to Wiltshire Council. My noble Friend, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, has been very strong in the support she has given the people of Salisbury and the rest of the county in the aftermath of the event.”
Mr Gray went on to highlight the effects of the Novichok poisonings on the people of Salisbury,
“It would be wrong to exaggerate the effect that these incidents have had on the people of Salisbury, Amesbury and the surrounding district. They were, of course, appalling incidents and there was a real feeling at the time of concern that the effect might be wider than it turned out to be. As a result, there has been some downturn in tourism and commerce in Salisbury—some 12.9%, I am informed—but it is recovering rapidly. The people of Salisbury are resilient in every way. The businesses I have spoken to realise that they must offer something for the people who come in from the surrounding area, and they are already doing that to a significant degree. I do not think that we should talk Salisbury down….. The people of Salisbury are well able to handle this. Now that it has been made plain that there is no risk of any kind at all to pedestrians or passers-by in the city of Salisbury or elsewhere, I think that people will return rapidly.”
The MP for North Wiltshire concluded by reinforcing view that the argument was not with the people of Russia, stating:
“It is very important that we maintain our talks and connections with the ordinary people of Russia. They are not our enemy; Mr Putin and his regime are our enemy.”
Last month, James Gray, MP North Wiltshire, led a cross-party group of MPs and Peers on a visit to Greenland to learn more about how a combination of environmental, economic and geopolitical changes are transforming the country’s prospects.
The group comprised members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions, which Mr Gray chairs. In addition to Mr Gray, they were Stephen Hepburn MP, John Mann MP, Mark Menzies MP, Brendan O’Hara MP, Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones, Baroness Smith of Newnham and Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP.
The group’s trip began in Copenhagen where meetings were held with the Danish Government and Greenland’s Representative in Copenhagen. Greenland remains an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark although the Self Government Act of 2009 has put the world’s largest island on the path to eventual independence, if it can build a large enough economy to end its financial dependence on a block grant from Denmark.
In Greenland, the group travelled first to Kangerlussuaq where British scientists from Loughborough University and the University of Sheffield were working to understand how Greenland’s environment is being altered by climate change. Mr Gray said: “British Arctic science is often overshadowed by what we do in Antarctica and we must do more to ensure that Britain’s world-class science in the Arctic has the visibility it deserves”.
The group then spent a busy two days in Nuuk, meeting with “Inatsisartut” (Greenland’s Parliament) and Greenlandic government officials. In Nuuk, the group also met with Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command (responsible for Greenland’s defence and security), local and national business associations, local scientists and the newly opened WWF office. Mr Gray said: “After visiting Nuuk, I would say that Britain needs to pay more attention to what is happening in Greenland. The Americans are there, the Chinese are there, but Britain needs to do more. Brexit could be just the opportunity to re-examine our relationship with Greenland”.
After visiting the capital, the group headed north to Ilulissat to learn more about the benefits and challenges brought about by tourism in Greenland. Mr Gray said: “Tourism is increasingly important to Greenland, which looks to Iceland as a model. However, questions remain over who is benefitting. For example, the rising number of cruise ships in Greenlandic waters are contributing very little to Greenland’s coffers”.
Following the trip, Mr Gray said “We were delighted to have had the opportunity to visit Greenland and meet such a diverse range of stakeholders. Greenland is important to Britain for many reasons, most notably science, but in the future potentially also for business. We really must do more to build-up Britain’s relationship with Greenland”.
© 2022 Promoted by Nick Botterill, on behalf of James Gray, both of North Wiltshire Conservatives, 12 Brown Street, Salisbury SP1 1HE.