Greg Attends Brit Awards

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight was one of only a handful of MPs to be invited to this year’s prestigious Brit awards.

The event was held the O2 Arena and was being televised live by ITV.

Mr Knight was invited in recognition of his support for the British music industry and the fact that together with his Parliamentary colleagues in MP4 (The world’s only Parliamentary Rock Group) he has helped to raise over £800,000 for charity since they were formed.

Mr Knight said: “I am pleased to support such a worthwhile event, which showcases the best of Britain’s musical talent”.

Yorkshire Wolds Meeting in Whitehall

A meeting has taken place in Whitehall between Natural Environment and Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon MP and East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight to discuss the problems surrounding the obtaining of Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) status.

Mr Knight is supporting campaigners who want to see the Yorkshire Wolds designated as an AONB.

Mr Knight said: “Currently the process is long-winded, drawn-out and costly and I believe steps can be taken to expedite the process and make it much easier to achieve.

If an area is worth protecting – like the Yorkshire Wolds – it should not take several years to achieve it, during which time desecration or development could take place.

Mr Knight spent over 40 minutes with the Minister arguing for the process to be streamlined. The Minister said he would look into the points Mr Knight had made and would respond to him in due course.

Afterwards Mr Knight said: “It was a friendly and constructive meeting and I am grateful to the Minister for listening. I hope he takes on board the points I have made”.

Knight in New Campaign to Cut Wind Farm Subsidies

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is one of over 100 Conservative MPs who are campaigning for the £400 million-a-year subsidies paid to the onshore wind turbine industry to be cut.

The MPs are also calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to tighten up planning laws so that local people have a better chance of stopping new farms being developed and protecting the countryside.

There are currently more than 3,000 onshore wind turbines in Britain and at the current subsidy levels at least 4,500 more are expected to be constructed over the coming years. These wind farms receive hundreds of millions of pounds from the Government and much of this cash ends up in the hands of energy companies and investment funds based abroad.

Mr Knight, who has long actively campaigned against wind farms said, “Wind farms are inefficient and unreliable. The wind cannot be guaranteed to blow at times of greatest energy demand. They are also extremely unsightly, blighting one of our most valuable natural resources – the countryside”.

Mr Knight added: “Wind farms are forcing up energy bills and swallowing disproportionate amounts of taxpayer-funded subsidies. It is wrong in these financially difficult times that hard-pressed consumers must pay for the expansion of inefficient, intermittent and unsightly onshore wind power.

Mr Knight is one of a number of signatories of a letter sent to the Prime Minister last week on this subject.

He is also due to meet the Environment Minister Richard Benyon MP later this month to discuss ways of protecting the beauty of the Yorkshire Wolds from inappropriate windfarm development and preserving it for future generations.

East Yorkshire MP Steps Up Wind Farms Fight

The European Union wants a major expansion of onshore wind farm development across Europe to help meet their green targets.

However there is increasing opposition to this form of green energy, with critics claiming that they are inefficient, expensive and a major blight on the landscape.

A new Parliamentary Group has been set up to fight further wind farm blight and this has been joined by East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight.

The new group is chaired by the MP for Daventry, Chris Heaton-Harris, a Conservative.

Greg Knight said: “Our Ministers need to look at this policy again. Wind Farms are an inefficient technology, they add to the bills of consumers because of their huge subsidy and it is the wrong renewable for the UK. We need to change the policy.”

There are about 3,000 onshore wind turbines with a few hundred dotted around off the coast of Britain.

Mr Knight added: “Wind Farms generate less than two per cent of the nation’s power and only produce energy around 30 per cent of the time. When the wind is not blowing – or even blowing too fast as in the recent storms – other sources of electricity have to be used, mostly gas and coal.”

A pledge to cut emissions, written into law in last Labour government’s Climate Change Act, requires a major expansion of renewable energy development.

Forecasts have suggested that the requirement for more wind energy will add £280 to average energy bills by 2020.

A study in the Netherlands recently found that turning on and off gas power stations used as a back-up to cover spells when there is little wind, actually produces more carbon than a steady supply of energy from an efficient modern gas station.

Mr Knight says he wants to see more work done to harness wave power. He says there is as much as 27GW of electricity in the sea to be harnessed, -the equivalent of eight nuclear power stations – “a huge resource that is going untapped.”

“Marine energy is about harnessing the power of the sea – including big waves and tidal currents – to generate electricity. Analysis released by the Carbon Trust in May last year showed the UK could create over 68,000 jobs in this emerging sector.”

“Britain is an island, and we should be using our long shoreline rather than desecrating our beautiful landscape,” he says.

Knight Calls for More Time on Clock Change Bill

The Daylight Saving Bill was derailed by a small group of MPs on Friday last but pressure is growing on the government to give the bill a fair hearing. East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight has joined scores of other politicians and organisations calling for more parliamentary time to see it through.

The bill would mandate the government to conduct a comprehensive review of the costs and benefits of putting clocks forward an hour throughout the UK, resulting in lighter evenings every day of the year. If this concludes that a change would be beneficial, the government will run a three-year trial of the new system, subject to consent from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Even with huge support from over 140 MPs at Friday’s debate, less than ten politicians were able to block the bill by simply prolonging the debate.

“The will of the house was for the Daylight Saving Bill to proceed. Despite overwhelming support, a tiny minority employed wrecking tactics to scupper the bill. It is important the Government give the bill more time – so it can have the hearing it deserves” said Greg Knight MP.

The campaign for clock change has the backing of over 90 organisations working on an enormous range of issues, from sport and tourism to, road safety and environmental protection. “The support we saw on Friday is pretty unprecedented when it comes to a private members bill. It’s imperative the government gives the bill more time” added Daniel Vockins, Lighter Later campaign manager.

Success for Rural Mobile Campaign

Following a successful Parliamentary campaign involving East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight and others, Mr Knight today welcomed an announcement which will see mobile phone operators increase broadband coverage to an estimated 98% of the UK population.

Traditionally, up to 6 million people in Britain have been excluded from mobile coverage, particularly in rural areas because mobile phone companies were only obliged to cover 95 % of the population 90 % of the time.

Following pressure from Mr Knight and other MPs, from October 2011 onwards the Chancellor of the Exchequer has agreed to commit an extra 150 million pounds to boost mobile phone coverage in rural areas.

Now OFCOM have proposed that 98% or more of the population should receive 4G mobile broadband coverage. This means that across the UK millions who currently do not have a mobile signal will receive one, and that millions more will have their signal upgraded from a 2G ‘voice’ signal to a 4G signal, capable of carrying high speed data.

Mr Knight said, “This new investment will go a long way to bridging the digital divide and will mean that thousands of homes, schools, farms and businesses in East Yorkshire will get access to decent mobile and internet coverage for the first time”.

Mr Knight concluded: “In the 21st century geographical isolation should not mean digital isolation”.

MP Calls for More Variable Speed Limits

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is calling on the government to make greater use of variable speed limits.

Currently, in built-up areas, most speed limits are permanent and in operation for 24 hours a day. But Mr Knight says that this does not reflect the fact that the dangers which justify lower speed limits are often ‘transient’. The MP says that speed limits ‘should always be justifiable by the road conditions’ and believes that there is an overwhelming case for introducing variable speed limits in villages and towns.

‘Some well-meaning campaigners say that all villages and town centres should have permanent 20 mph limits, but this blanket approach is misguided and wrong,’ says the MP.

During Transport Questions Mr Knight told the House of Commons: ‘Is the Minister aware that often the danger that justifies a 20 mph limit is transient, such as outside a school, where the danger is present only briefly during the school day—in the morning, at lunch time and in the afternoon? As we already have the lowest speed limits in Europe, will the Minister encourage local authorities to make greater use of variable 20 mph limits so that once the danger has passed the limit will default to 30?

Replying, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Penning) said that the government are looking at Mr Knight’s suggestion. He also confirmed that mandatory variable speed limits ‘will continue to be used as part of the management of traffic on controlled and managed motorways on the strategic road network.’

Mr Knight added: ‘Variable speed limits have been a great success on our motorways and we should now be seeking to promote their greater use in rural areas. It is ridiculous to say that the danger of an accident occurring outside a school between a pedestrian and a vehicle is the same at midnight as it is at 4pm in the afternoon.’

‘The use of electronic flashing signs when the lower speed limit is in force would actually make our roads safer,’ the MP argues.

Most rural areas do not have nearby motorways or a comprehensive network of ‘A’ roads for passing traffic to use. If we are to ensure that places like the East Riding remain attractive to tourists and businesses alike, we need to ensure that we do not impede those who are already undertaking a long journey by unnecessarily adding to their journey times without just cause by the use of heavy-handed blanket speed limits.’

Mr Knight said the government should be prepared to contribute towards the cost of the electronic signage required.

Knight Warns on New Mail Scams

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is warning that the number of unsolicited mail scams is increasing sharply.

Mr Knight said, “Not all unsolicited mail is an attempt to scam people, but unscrupulous operators are now turning their attention away from well-publicised online scams to try and trick people out of their money by offering get-rich-quick investments, ‘miracle’ health cures and dubious lotteries through their letterbox”.


Mr Knight is recommending that people sign up with the ‘Mailing Preference Service (MPS)’ which is a free Government backed scheme, much like the better known Telephone Preference Service (TPS). Once people sign up, the MPS will prevent member companies of the Direct Marketing Association sending them unwanted post and take steps to prevent the receipt of other unsolicited mail.

Mr Knight added, “The most important thing to remember is that if an offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!

Households can sign up to the Mail Preference Service at: www.mpsonline.org.uk or by telephoning 0845 703 4599.

Knight Supports Call for Free Town Centre Parking

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is supporting calls for free town centre parking, made in the Portas Review into the future of High Street Shopping.

The review, which has just been released, was commissioned by the Government and carried out by retail expert Mary Portas.  It examines how to breathe new life into our High Streets which have seen their trade stripped away by the rise of out of town retail parks and online shopping. 

The Portas Review makes a number of recommendations, including that ‘local authorities should implement free parking schemes in town centres’.

Mr Knight said: “The fact that Ms Portas has singled out parking charges as something which are hurting our High Streets should make local authorities sit up and listen.  We need to reconsider the cost-benefit relationship of hitting shoppers who visit our high streets with hefty car parking charges”. 

Mr Knight added: “It is so obvious that it almost makes no sense pointing it out, but to compete on a level playing field with out of town retail parks, local town shops need free parking and they need it nearby”.

Mr Knight is also backing calls for a ‘league table’ into how much local authorities collect from parking charges and levels of reinvestment into the High Street.

MPs Call for Compulsory Origin Labelling

East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight is spronsoring a House of Commons motion calling for mandatory country of origin labelling for meat products.

The motion, which has cross-party support, calls for clarity in labelling and for single country labels to show which country an animal was born reared and slaughtered in.

Mr Knight said; “Currently meat from a foreign animal which is processed in Britain can be labelled as ‘UK produce’. Much of the bacon on the shelves of supermarkets is from foreign reared pigs yet is outrageously labelled as ‘British’. This misleads consumers and is hurting British farmers”.

Mr Knight added: “If action is taken to sort out this labelling anomaly it would be a big boost to British farmers. They are currently being forced to compete with an inferior product, often injected with water and sourced from foreign animals reared to significantly lower standards, yet masquerading as British”.

Mr Knight, who has previously raised this issue in the House of Commons, said he intended to ‘keep up the pressure’ on Ministers to introduce reforms.