Conservative Party MPs have voted down a motion to express thanks to the emergency service workers who helped out across the UK after storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge caused severe flooding to more than 3,000 homes last month, and to prevent it from happening again.
During yesterday’s opposition day debate in the House of Commons, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party tabled a motion in response to last month’s unprecedented series of floods across the country.
The motion began by calling for MPs to express their thanks to all the Environment Agency workers, emergency services, local council workers and volunteers who pitched in to help those affected by the severe weather.
It also called for the government to set up an independent review into February’s floods – including probes into the level of funding for flood defences, and what lessons needed to be learnt to prevent such devastation from occurring again.
The full motion stated:
“That this House notes the damage caused by Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge and expresses thanks to workers from the Environment Agency, emergency services, local councils and volunteers; and calls for Ministers to set up an independent review into the floods, including the Government’s response, the adequacy of the funding provided for flood defence and prevention, difficulties facing homes and businesses with getting insurance and what lessons need to be learnt in light of the climate emergency and the increased likelihood of flooding in the future.”
Most would have expected the motion to be completely uncontroversial and that any sensible government would surely want to thank emergency workers for their help during an extreme weather event and to try and prevent such carnage from happening again.
But no.
Astonishingly, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party decided to vote down the motion – crushing it by a margin of 328 to 227.
Whilst the vast majority of Labour (176), SNP (33), Liberal Democrat (11), Plaid Cymru (4) and Green (1) MPs voted in favour of the motion, just one solitary Conservative MP had the guts to support it.
A staggering 321 of Boris Johnson’s Tory MPs, alongside 7 DUP MPs, managed to ensure that the motion was defeated in the House of Commons.
And if you don’t believe us, here’s the official House of Commons Twitter account to prove it:
MPs have voted 328 to 227 against the motion to thank those who worked to respond to the floods and call for an independent review to assess the government's response and decide what lessons need to be learned. pic.twitter.com/XmWrU9rg4H
— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) March 4, 2020
Well done Britain. You really voted for the good guys, didn’t you.
