Neither Richard Tice, Lee Anderson or Robert Jenrick attended the Westminster Hall meeting
South Derbyshire MP Samantha Niblett called the lack of Reform representation ‘bitterly disappointing'(Image: Parliament.tv)
The Reform party has been blasted by an East Midlands MP for not fielding a single local representative at a debate about the productivity and growth of the region.
South Derbyshire MP Samantha Niblett said it was “bitterly disappointing” that neither Newark MP Robert Jenrick, Ashfield MP Lee Anderson or Boston & Skegness MP Richard Tice had shown up to the meeting at Westminster Hall last Tuesday (March 17).
The debate, arranged by Rushcliffe Labour MP James Naish, centred around how the East Midlands had been “underrecognised” historically by central government.
It was attended by MPs from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, including Sherwood Forest MP Michelle Welsh, Mansfield MP Steve Yemm and Gedling MP Michael Payne, who all represent Labour.
Numerous MPs spoke during the debate, before Ms Niblett took her turn.
But before she commented on matters relating to the potential of her constituency, she called out the no-show from Reform members.
She said: “For a debate on productivity and growth in the East Midlands, it is bitterly disappointing to see that Reform couldn’t be bothered to field a single Reform MP to stand up for the East Midlands so people need to be careful what they vote for if they want people standing up for them.”
The Reform party hold eight parliamentary seats across the country, of which three – 37.5 per cent – are in the East Midlands.
On the day of the growth debate, Reform’s national party was launching a competition for a street in the UK to win its energy bills paid for a year.
The promotion, via a new website – nigelcutmybills.com – came amid a sudden spike in the cost of electricity, gas and petrol in the wake of the Iran war.
After her comments on Reform, Ms Niblett went on to promote the heritage and opportunities of South Derbyshire, talking of the area’s communities being built on “coal and clay” during the industrial revolution.
She referenced businesses, particularly in the advanced manufacturing sector such as Toyota at Burnaston, which are “innovating, creating jobs and driving growth for the wider regional economy”.
She added that the area is well-placed to benefit from the East Midlands Freeport, promoted the re-opening of the Ivanhoe Line through Swadlincote, reinforced the importance of opening two planned new schools and made the case for a local area energy plan to help consider planning applications for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and solar farms.
At the debate, Mr Naish, who chairs the East Midlands All-Party Parliamentary Group, said for years the region had received a “persistently unfair share” of government money, labelling the situation a “national policy failure”.
His claims were heard by Labour’s parliamentary under-secretary of state for housing Miatta Fahnbulleh, who said the government was “determined” to “put right” years of skewed funding.
Reform UK, Richard Tice MP, Lee Anderson MP and Robert Jenrick MP were contacted for comment but did not respond.