Simon Hoare MP uses Opposition Day debates to challenge government thinking – and argue that rural Britain cannot remain an afterthought
One of the few ‘joys’ of being in Opposition as far as the Parliamentary timetable is concerned is that on about 14 Wednesdays a year, His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is able to choose the topics for debate. These are (rather unimaginatively) known as Opposition Day Debates. The Opposition is not able to make laws: the point is to draw attention to particular issues of concern. Our most recent topics were, firstly, the government’s proposals to water down access to justice via jury trial, and our second was rural communities.
My fellow Conservatives and I are opposed to reducing the number of trials by jury. I personally have two, non-lawyerly, objections to it. First, the attraction of a jury trial is that evidence is put before 12 fresh sets of eyes and minds. They look at the application of the law anew. Not only is doing so a benefit in itself, but so is the fact that jurors are drawn from the current community. They represent all views and backgrounds. With the greatest of respect to the legal profession, and notwithstanding the important progress in diversification of the cohort, the same cannot be said of judges, and a narrower view is likely to dominate.
The danger of having only a judge hear evidence is that, in time, human nature introduces group thinking and an ‘ah yes, we had a similar case to this a few months ago. It’s bound to be roughly the same’.
You don’t get that with a fresh jury.
Magna Carta set out the principle of being judged by one’s peers. It was a good principle then, and it is now. As Randolph Churchill set out in his late 19th century Tory philosophy, Trust the People. He, like the Barons at Runnymede, was right.
VAT and guns
Given how many Tories wished to speak on the Rural Communities debate, we were pressed for time and I was lucky to be called. First, though, I intervened on one of the Lib Dems who was demanding a reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector (something I have called for for years). I highlighted the irony that they were doing so having spent several minutes undermining the democrat decision to leave the EU. The freedom to reduce rates of VAT is only permissible having left the EU. It was a bit of a rabbit in the headlights moment …
I was able to point to the fact that while Reform UK seeks to paint itself as the ‘friend of rural Britain and her farmers’, not a single Reform MP attended or spoke in the debate – Trump-supporting, laissez faire, race-to-the-bottom, UK-food-security-destroying free traders as they are. Actions speak louder than press releases.
I know our rural communities are too canny to fall for Farage’s preening.
I called for a number of policies. In no particular order – to try to save rural; hospitality and village pubs, I called for a reduction on VAT and absolution of Business Rates.
Alongside the pub, our village churches play an important role. I called for the restoration of grants to places of worship where restoration projects could reclaim the VAT. This is particularly relevant for my ‘parish’ as the Lydlinch Bells are being restored by community fundraising – and now have to pay VAT for the privilege.
I called for the resurrection of funding for Neighbourhood Plans – a case powerfully put to me by those involved with Blandford’s. Such plans support the delivery of smaller scale housing in the villages and towns where they are needed, thereby underpinning rural vitality and viability.
Slightly more niche, but hugely important to our valuable shooting sector, I spoke up against merging Sections 1 and 2 of the gun licensing process. The process needs to be robust, but this is a cost and bureaucracy-increasing initiative which needs to go.
Having made some steps forward. I urged the Treasury to abandon the Family Farm Tax altogether. I remain enormously fearful that it still represents the death knell for our crucial North Dorset family farms, and that Hardy’s Vale of the Little Dairies is really looking at the cliff edge.
With that in mind I also called for a government-led dairy strategy to mitigate against the impact of wildly fluctuating commodity prices.
Finally, yet again, I beat the drum for ensuring a clear rural dimension for funding formulas for schools, police, local government and the Environment Agency. Without it we are in the fight with one hand tied behind our backs from the get go.
