Good to meet with the Rail Minister this morning at Ipswich station. There has been some good news over the past year, new trains will soon be introduced and there will be a limited introduction of an Ipswich in 60 service to London (the sooner this is made more frequent and runs at peak times the better but at least its a start). However I did raise concerns with the Minister about the continued disruption to train services at the weekends and the inconvenience this is causing for Ipswich residents (this is something I’ve experienced first hand on a number of occasions this year).

I also raised concerns about the cost of train travel (the vast majority of people who’ve filled out my transport survey have said it costs too much and I agree). In addition to this I requested that the Government consider extending the planned East West rail to Ipswich and an hourly service between Ipswich and Peterborough. Overall I think it was a positive meeting and that the Rail Minister left with a greater understanding of rail issues in Ipswich. I appreciate that I won’t have covered everything in what was a brief meeting.

This Wednesday evening Ipswich Labour MP, Sandy Martin, didn’t just vote for a second referendum on Brexit, he was also one of only a few MPs who voted to revoke article 50. Not even figures such as Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Dianne Abbot or Keir Starmer went as far as voting to revoke article 50 and block Brexit without even holding a second referendum.

Ipswich voted to leave the EU. Overall 58% of people in the Town voted out. However it currently has a Labour MP who is doing everything he can to block the Brexit vote.

When asked about the issue on BBC Radio Suffolk this January Sandy Martin MP was reported as having said he knows better than his constituents.

Last December Ipswich Labour MP Sandy Martin said, “In any case, given the referendum result in 2016 it would be undemocratic to cancel Brexit without another referendum”. However this Wednesday he voted to revoke article 50 and block Brexit without there needing to be a second referendum.

It’s time Ipswich had an MP who would fight to ensure that the local Brexit vote is respected and the referendum result honored.

Clearly the situation in Parliament at the moment is incredibly frustrating. There was a clear vote to leave the EU in the referendum and a clear deadline to leave the EU by the end of this month. The prospect of the Brexit deadline being extended fills me with dread.

Like 58% of people in Ipswich who voted in the referendum I voted to leave the EU. However, for me this is about our democracy. It concerns me greatly that so many MPs seem prepared to turn their backs on the referendum result. It also concerns me that there are so many examples of MPs who are meant to be in Parliament to represent the views of their constituents not representing their views when it comes to Brexit.

I absolutely would have voted to keep no deal on the table. Both because I think its important to have it on the table from a negotiating point of view but also because I think that despite some disruption in the short term, our country would make a success of no deal Brexit. We’re a great country and I believe that we’d rise to the challenge.

Yesterday the Labour MP for Ipswich made clear his view on the issue. He said that there should be a second referendum where there should be two options: 1. Remain 2. Brexit which includes full membership of the Single Market and Customs Union. So the choice would be between Remain and a form of Brexit that is so soft its effectively Remain. Being a full member of both the Single Market and Customs Union would mean that we would be unable to control immigration from EU countries and that we would be unable to have our own trade policy and strike free trade agreements with some of the fastest growing countries in the world.

Essentially the Labour MP for Ipswich doesn’t even think the people of Ipswich should get the opportunity to vote for Brexit again in a meaningful sense.

My strong view is that Ipswich needs an MP who will respect the democratic vote that took place to leave the EU both in Ipswich and nationally. This is not currently the case.

Fascinating tour of ABP Port of Ipswich this afternoon with Paul Ager and Andy Constable. Easy to forget its huge importance with the Port of Felixstowe on its door step but it employs over 1,000 people and is the number one grain exporter in the country. Long discussion about the future of the island site and the huge potential it holds for Ipswich.

Good to get the hard hat on again this afternoon in Ipswich. At the Maltings on Princes Street with Mark Pertwee and Vanessa Penn. A pretty wild night club back in the day by the sounds of things but has been sitting empty for 10 years.

New first class office accommodation (approx 24,000 sq ft) should be ready this May. Up to 300 employees could be based there. The Maltings is one of the first buildings you see when you leave Ipswich train station so this is a big positive. Will open at around the same time as the first Winerack apartments become available. Things are really happening!

Very useful visit to Suffolk County Council’s Highways Service Delivery Centre yesterday to discuss potholes and road quality issues in Ipswich. I know that the quality of some of the roads isn’t up to the standard we’d like in parts of the Town and I was keen to see what the County Council are doing to help tackle this issue.

The good news was that in the last budget Suffolk got £9.67 million to help improve road quality, much of this money will be spent on potholes. So far the County have purchase a new Thermal Road Repair System. There is no noisy drilling associated with this system meaning that work can be carried out during the evenings meaning more can be done quickly. The Council have a “report a pothole” website: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads-pavements-and-verges/potholes/report-a-pothole/ – Which seems to have increased the responsiveness of the Council when it comes to filling in potholes and other road quality issues. Currently I’m distributing my transport surveys and I’m sure there will be a great many potholes flagged up!