From: Greg Hands MP news@greghands.

com
Subject: News Bulletin from Greg Hands MP #463
Date: 22 June 2016 at 14:49
To: news@greghands.com

Issue 463 - Wednesday 22nd June 2016

In this edition:

Since the last edition, Greg:

Greg Hands MPs Diary

Website of the Week:
www.strongerin.co.uk

Joined colleagues and Members of Parliament from all parties

in the House of Commons to express their condolences at the
murder of Jo Cox MP.
Attended the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelseas Tea
for the Queen event at Kensington Town Hall, with senior
citizens from across the Borough.
Attended the Commonwealth Fine Food and Drink Fair at
Duke of York Square, Kings Road, Chelsea.
Joined activists from across Chelsea & Fulham in campaigning
for Britain to remain in the EU. For photos and speeches, see
below.
Held a meeting with senior representatives of National Grid to
discuss their ongoing replacement of gas pipes on the Kings
Road. For more details, please contact National Grid on 0800
389 8261 or at nationalgrid@londongasmains.co.uk. For 24hour operational enquiries, please call 0800 096 5678.
As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, brought to a close the
House of Commons debate on EU Membership: Economic
Benefits. For more, see below.
Attended the Cremorne Residents Association of Lots
Village summer party.
Was guest speaker at the 25th annual Borrowers & Investors
Conference organised by Euromoney magazine.
Welcomed Canadas Finance Minister, Bill Morneau, to the
Treasury for talks.
Campaigned in Cambridgeshire (Cambridge and Ely) for
Conservatives In, the Conservative Party campaign body to
keep Britain in the EU.
Was guest speaker at a lunch hosted by London-based thinktank, the Legatum Institute, talking about the role of the free
market in spreading wealth and democratic power.
Campaigned in the Tooting Parliamentary By-Election for the
unsuccessful Conservative candidate Dan Watkins.
Held his regular constituency surgery at Metro Bank, Fulham
Broadway. Greg was grateful to Metro Bank for hosting the
surgery, and to Hammersmith & Fulham Police for their
presence to reassure the public. To make an appointment for
one of Gregs advice surgeries, please send an email to
handsg@parliament.uk or call 020 7219 5448.

Greg Hands Reassures

Constituents over Advice
Surgery Safety
Hands in the media:
Greg Hands MP on Radio
4's "The World This
Weekend" discussing
security for MPs at
constituency advice
surgeries
Greg Hands MP one year in
the Cabinet - article for the
Kensington, Chelsea &
Fulham Conservatives'
website
Photo news:
Commonwealth Fine Food
and Drink Fair
Help needed in restoring
Brompton Cemetery
Video news:
Greg Hands MP being
interviewed at the think-tank
Legatum Institute last week
about his job and the
Government's role in fixing
the public finances
Chief Secretary: Speech at
EuroMoney's Global
Borrowers & Investors
Forum
Hands in Parliament:
Chief Secretary to the
Treasury sums up for the
Government in the all-day
debate on benefits to the
UK of EU membership
Photo news:
Campaigning for remain
across Chelsea & Fulham
7 ways to contact
Greg Hands

Website of the Week:

www.strongerin.co.uk
The website of the Stronger In campaign, aiming to keep
Britain in the EU, with a vote for Remain on Thursday, 23rd June.

Greg Hands Reassures Constituents over

Advice Surgery Safety
Greg Hands, the Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham, said his
surgery went ahead as planned today (Friday), but with a police
presence to reassure members of the public.
He said: I will continue to hold surgeries and be available to
constituents, as that is an essential part of being a Member of
Parliament."
He said since elected in 2005 he had held more than 400 surgeries,
during which time police have had to be called out three times - twice
for someone with mental health issues who simply refused to leave,
and once for someone who got very angry and abusive.
Mr Hands continued: On none of these occasions was I directly
threatened physically, but I know that many MPs have been.
I find my weekly surgery an important way of being in touch with the
community in Chelsea and Fulham, but I await to see what advice
parliamentary authorities and the police have for going forward.

Hands in the media:

Greg Hands MP on Radio 4s The World

This Weekend discussing security for MPs
at constituency advice surgeries
19th June 2016

Listen from 14 minutes in.

Greg Hands MP being interviewed by BBC Radio 4's "The World

This Weekend" at his constituency surgery at Metro Bank,
Fulham, this week.

Greg Hands MP one year in the Cabinet

article for the Kensington, Chelsea &
Fulham Conservatives website
It is now a little over a year since I was re-elected as Member of
Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham, and appointed by David Cameron
to the Cabinet, as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
It is an honour and a privilege to represent Chelsea and Fulham in the
House of Commons, and to serve our first majority, Conservative
Government since 1997.
Before the General Election, in the Coalition Government, I had been
Deputy Chief Whip. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is effectively
number two in the Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
notwithstanding the fact that the Prime Minister himself is the First
Lord of the Treasury!
Much of the credit for our Conservative Government must go to the
hard-working activist base in Chelsea & Fulham and Kensington, in
our local Conservative association. Not just for winning here locally,
but for providing the human and financial resources to compete in the
marginal seats nearby which circle us like Hammersmith, Battersea,
Westminster North, Brentford & Isleworth, Ealing Central & Acton and
Tooting.
My responsibilities as Chief Secretary to the Treasury cover public
expenditure and include: spending reviews and strategic planning; inyear spending control; public sector pay and pensions; Annually
Managed Expenditure (AME) and welfare reform; efficiency and value
for money in public service; procurement; capital investment;
infrastructure deals; and Treasury interest in devolution to Scotland,
Wales, and Northern Ireland.
When the Prime Minister appointed me Chief Secretary, I knew that I
was going to have a serious job to do. I realised that we were about
half way there in reducing the deficit from 10.8% of GDP in 2010 to
4.8% in 2015, and that the Chancellor and I had a big task ahead of
us in deciding the Autumn Statement. The deficit has already come
down further, and we are on course to build a small, but significant,
budget surplus by the year 2019.
Eighteen years after I was first elected as a local councillor, and
eleven years after I was first elected MP, I continue campaigning on
local issues. Over the past year alone, I have continued representing
local residents concerns on matters including Crossrail 2; the
proposed curtailment of the 424 bus route; the Thames Tideway
Tunnel and the Counters Creek storm relief sewer; National Grids
works on the Kings Road; the Fulham Boys Schools move to a
permanent site; Chelsea FCs proposed redevelopment of Stamford
Bridge Stadium; and the refurbishment of Sloane Square
Underground Station.
I have held my regular constituency surgeries at Fulham Library, and
am now also holding surgeries at both Metro Bank branches in
Chelsea & Fulham, and at Peter Jones, Sloane Square. I have
represented a great variety of constituents concerns over the past
year, including housing issues, school places, local transport issues,
and access to medical care.
I am proud to be the first MP to attend Cabinet whilst representing
Chelsea since Sir Samuel Hoare in 1940, and the first to do so
representing Fulham since Labours Michael Stewart in 1970. My
position at the Cabinet table allows both Chelsea & Fulham to have a
strong voice at the heart of central Government. These are exciting
times to be a member of Her Majestys Government, and to serve the
good people of Chelsea and Fulham.

Photo news:

Commonwealth Fine Food and Drink Fair

Greg Hands MP with Royal Borough Mayor Cllr Elizabeth

Rutherford at the Commonwealth Fine Food and Drink Fair, Duke
of York Square, Kings Road, Chelsea.

Help needed in restoring Brompton

Cemetery
Help is needed to restore this beautiful Brompton Cemetery, which
welcomes more than 700,000 visitors each year and provides a home
to wide variety of flora and fauna.
Managed by The Royal Parks, Brompton continues as an active
cemetery today, with Grade I listed heritage status and as a Site of
Nature Conservation Importance. There are also many prominent and
important people buried in the cemetery including; suffragette
Emmeline Pankhurst, pugilist Gentleman John Jackson and cricket
champion John Wisden. Making it an important visitor destination,
loved by locals as well as visitors to the city.
The cemetery is in desperate need of restoration and we need your
help to secure the funding to do this. Our conservation plans focus on
Bromptons heritage, nature and community and we're proud to be
working in partnership with The Royal Parks and Friends of Brompton
Cemetery to make this happen.
The Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund have formally
pledged nearly 4.5m as part of their Parks for People programme to
protect the future of this historic and nationally important Cemetery in
the heart of London.
This funding will only be unlocked once we have match-fundraised
500,000 from a combination of the local community, corporate
partners, trusts and foundations.
How you can help
There are lots of ways to get involved and pledge support for this
conservation project, whether its making a kind gift or by dedicating a
bench every contribution helps.
Donate now
Whatever you can give, whether it be 20, 50, 100 or more, thank
you for helping us to restore and conserve the beauty and heritage of
this iconic cemetery.
Make a donation to the campaign today on Virgin Money Giving.
Dedicate a bench
Celebrate the life of a loved one by dedicating a bench in Brompton
Cemetery. If you would like to dedicate a bench, or would like further
information,
please
contact
Grace
at
support@royalparksfoundation.org.
Significant gift
If readers would like to make a significant gift to Brompton Cemetery
then
please
contact
Jessica
or
Sara
at
support@royalparksfoundation.org.

Video news:

Greg Hands MP being interviewed at the

think-tank Legatum Institute last week
about his job and the Governments role in
fixing the public finances

Chief Secretary: Speech at EuroMoneys

Global Borrowers & Investors Forum
2nd June 2016

Greg Hands MP addressing Euromoney magazine's 25th annual

conference for borrowers & investors in London this week.
Introduction
Good morning its great to be here today and many thanks to
Christopher for inviting me along to talk to you.
And it is good to be back! I worked in the financial markets in the
1990s, and it is an honour to be able to return and be your keynote
speaker at this Silver Jubilee anniversary conference.
Those of you who live in Chelsea or Fulham may also recognise me
as your local MP.
But Im also the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the number 2 to
Chancellor George Osborne, which means that its my job to manage
over 700 billion pounds which the Government spends each year.
Many people in the City would love to run a portfolio of that size but
the it is my job is that Im meant to keep that number down not make
it bigger!
Long Term Economic Plan
Because, of course, this Government came to power on a very clear
promise to fix the public finances and live within our means in a way
we havent done for a long time in this country.
So weve cut what we spend. In 2010-11, the Government was
spending 45% of our GDP. Thats now down to 40%.
And were now on track for a surplus in 2019/2020.
Of course spending public money efficiently is just part of the longterm economic plan were putting into action.
We also have to make sure that were helping our economy grow.
Thats why were making this a country where companies of all kinds
can thrive.
Just look at our corporation tax rate.
In 2010, corporation tax stood at 28%. By the end of this Parliament,
well have brought that down to just 17%.
Of course theres a lot more going on to make the UK a great place for
businesses to do well.
From investing in research, infrastructure and skills to creating a
strong and stable regulatory environment and making links with
emerging economies.
And all of this is already starting to have an effect.
Were one of the fastest growing economies in the G7.
Weve got record numbers of people in employment.
And business investment has also grown robustly, up by over 25 per
cent compared to six years ago.
Position on the EU Debate
Despite this progress, I also have to admit that Im worried about the
future.
And as we are now governed by the rules of Purdah, let me be clear
at this stage that Im now talking in my personal capacity and as MP
for Chelsea and Fulham.
Im concerned that all the work weve been doing could unravel and
soon.
In just 48 hours, this country will go to the polls to make one of the
UKs most momentous decisions in decades.
Now Ive never been shy of criticising the EU myself, when I thought it
was heading in the wrong direction, or not delivering the prosperity
and competitiveness we need.
But thats very different to wanting to leave.
And back in February, the Prime Minister struck a deal that would give
the UK the best of both worlds, if we chose to stay in a reformed
European Union.
Because it will mean that well have our non-Eurozone status
protected. No UK in Schengen. No ever-closer political union for the
UK. Greater control over welfare, and over the pull factors for
migration.
But well also be at the heart of the Single Market of half a billion
people.
Well have a seat at the table when the rules affecting us are set.
And wed remain a powerful voice pushing for more change, more
competitiveness and more growth.
The Costs of Leaving
For me, all the evidence shows that we are stronger, safer and better
off inside a reformed European Union, than outside on our own.
What I care about is facing up to facts. Looking at the analysis.
Listening to the experts.
And in the Treasury, weve done a lot of work to understand what
leaving the EU might mean for the country.
None of it makes for happy reading.
Almost right away, a vote to leave will push our economy into
recession.
Compared to remaining as a member, leaving would mean:
We could see over 500,000 job losses.
A fall of between 12 and 15% in the value of sterling.
A decrease in GDP of between 3.6% and 6.0%.
A 10 to 18% fall in house prices.
Increased borrowing of anything up to 39bn a year.
Thats just the immediate aftermath.
The long-term impact is equally worrying.
Long Term Impact
The central estimate is a long-term cost to the economy of 6.2% of
GDP; thats 4,300 per household; and a 36bn hole in tax receipts.
I know from my job that it would be hard for the country to manage
that kind of hole in the public finances.
I have first-hand experience of the sorts of trade-offs and difficult
decisions necessary to achieve even modest reductions in spending.
36 billion is of a different order of magnitude entirely.
To put it in perspective, its more than we spend, for example, on the
entire budget of the Ministry of Defence, or a third of the NHS budget.
But were not just talking about numbers and balance sheets.
Because behind all these figures, its the cost to individual people that
concerns me.
You cannot, for instance, dismiss the loss of half a million jobs as a
statistic.
That means half a million people - 500,000 people - with less security,
wondering how they are going to make ends meet.
And nor can you just dismiss a 36 billion hole in the public finances.
Thats less money for the vital public services that people depend on.
Financial Services
And when it comes to Financial Services too, our membership of the
EU could not be more important.
In Government, we want to see the financial services industry grow,
not unravel.
To stay on top, not lose out to the likes of Frankfurt, Paris or
Luxembourg.
For me, the evidence is clear.
A vote to leave would mean jeopardising the future of our financial
services sector.
I want us to keep reaping the rewards of being a part of the EU.
Like the jobs for hundreds of thousands of people with 285,000 jobs
linked to our financial services exports to the EU.
And whether you look at the firms which flood to this country to set up
their European headquarters, or the huge amount of Foreign Direct
Investment we attract more than anyone else in the EU at almost
150m invested here a day over the last decade these are things
which are built upon our membership of the European Union.
In particular, they depend upon the EU Financial Services passport,
which allows trade across the Single Market with less complexity and
lower costs.
And dont imagine for a minute that the EU Commission will stop
regulating financial services on 24 June it is just that we would no
longer have Lord Hill as our Commissioner or a seat at the table.
We cant, for example, keep pushing for the EU Capital Markets Union
from the outside.
So we are, quite simply, a less attractive proposition for financial
services firms if we leave the EU.
Other voices
You dont have to take my word for all of this.
But Id urge you to look at the evidence weve found in the Treasury.
To consider what were hearing from the IMF. The OECD. The IFS.
The CBI. The Governor of the Bank of England.
To listen to our global allies like the US, Germany, or Japan. France,
Canada, Austrlia or New Zealand.
Not a single one of our international friends and allies thinks it is best
for Britain to leave the European Union.
Or listen to the businesses based in this country not just our major
financial corporations, but those smaller companies that rely on
exporting to the EU market.
Conclusion
So when it comes to Thursday, I hope all the arguments and evidence
youve heard will persuade you to join me in voting for remain.
Because our long-term economic plan is working. And rather than
undermine it, we need to keep building on it.
We want to keep attracting investment, not losing out to our European
partners.
And to keep creating jobs, not jeopardising peoples livelihoods, up
and down the country.
I like to keep in mind the words of Fred W. Smith he is all of the
founder, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx, the US package
delivery company. I guess he is someone who likes to leave no doubt
as to who is in charge.
Fred gave a rare interview for a US business magazine, and when
asked about his secret to success, he said:
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
And at that point, he ended the interview!
Well, our main thing is economic security. Thats what we were elected
to provide.
Thats what our long-term economic plan is creating.
And thats what well keep on doing over the next four years.
I believe that we can best deliver a UK stronger, safer and better off,
by remaining in the EU.
Polls open in less than 48 hours.
I urge you to vote Remain.

Greg Hands MP addressing Euromoney magazine's 25th annual

conference for borrowers & investors in London this week.

Hands in Parliament:

Chief Secretary to the Treasury sums up

for the Government in the all-day debate
on benefits to the UK of EU membership
15th June, 2016

Click on the image above to watch Greg's speech.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Greg Hands): It is my privilege
to bring this most timely debate to a close. This is, of course, the final
word from the Government at the Dispatch Box before the British
people go to the polls next week to make one of the most important
decisions about the future of the United Kingdom in the modern era.
For many people, this is the biggest political decision that they have
ever had to make. Indeed, I was only nine years old at the time of the
1975 referendum.
This is not like a general election. It is not just a choice for the next
five years. There is no going back from the choice that we make, as a
nation, next Thursday. A vote to leave would be irreversible. There is
no try before you buy, and there are no returns. That makes it all the
more important that we make the most of the opportunities, such as
this debate, to look again at what is really in the interests of everyone
in the UK.
I thank all Members for their contributions. In closing the debate, I
want to be very clear about my conviction that the UK is far better off
as part of the European Union than outside on our own. There have
been 53 speakers today, 46 of whom have supported Britains staying
in Europe, many of them passionately so. I cannot mention all of them,
so I will refer briefly to fourtwo from each side.
First, my hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy
Morton), in a moving and important speech, declared for remain here
on the Floor of the House. I commend her for making the right choice.
In the interest of fairness, let me briefly mention one of the speeches
against the motion, of which there were not many; there were seven in
all. I did not agree with the arguments made by my hon. Friend the
Member for South East Cornwall (Mrs Murray), but she made
extensive references to Looe in her constituency, where I spent many
happy years as a child growing up, and it was great to hear references
to places such as Pengellys fish shop.
I will mention two speeches from Labour, by the hon. Member for
Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson) and the hon. Member for
Newcastle-under-Lyme (Paul Farrelly). Far be it from me to suggest
how Members should campaign in their constituencies on the matter,
but I thought both of them did well to mention the local businesses,
local jobs and local facilities that would be under threat from a vote to
leave the European Union. I have to mention that the hon. Member for
Newcastle-under-Lyme and I were both migrant workers in the 1980s
in West Berlin in the Feinschmecker-Etage of the Kaufhaus des
Westens.
I want us to remain, and I say that as someone who is not blind to the
faults and the flaws of the European Union. Being critical of the EU
does not mean wanting to leave the EU; it means wanting to keep
enjoying all the benefits it has to offer while continuing to fight for the
best interests of the UK in Europe. If we choose to stay, we can have
the best of both worlds. We will never be forced to join the euro, and
the deal struck by the Prime Minister in February means that our rights
as a country outside the eurozone will be protected, as my hon. Friend
the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) said. We will
have no membership of Schengen, no ever-closer political union,
greater control over welfare and greater control over the pull factors
for migration.
Crucially, we will also be at the heart of the single market, which is
improving in the areas of services, capital, energy and digital. We will
have a seat at the table when the rules affecting us are set. We can
trade freely with half a billion people inside the EU. As part of this
huge trading bloc, we have gained much better deals with other
countries across the globe than we ever would have done had the UK
been sitting at the negotiating table alone.
Today, we have seen yet further proof that the UKs economy is on the
road to recovery. We have the highest employment level on record.
Unemployment is at its lowest since 2005, the year I first entered
Parliament. We can be proud of what we have achieved. However, we
are putting our hard-won recovery in jeopardy: with one enormous
leap into the dark in just eight days time, we risk throwing it all away.
I care about facing up to the facts. It is only right to examine what
voting to leave might do and, frankly, we should be concerned. In the
Treasury, we have done a lot of work to understand what leaving the
EU might mean for this country. One study of the short-term impact of
leaving suggests that if we vote to leave, we could be pushing
ourselves headlong into a recession within a couple of years. In fact,
compared with remaining, we might well see a rise in unemployment
of between 520,000 and 820,000; a fall of between 12% and 15% in
the value of sterling; a decrease in GDP of between 3.6% and 6.0%;
and increased borrowing of anything up to 39 billion, which is the
equivalent of a third of the NHS budget each year. Some people say,
So what? Others say, This is a price worth paying. For the vast
majority of people in this country, however, these thingsthey are just
what will happen in the immediate aftermathreally matter.
We have debated employment rights quite a bit and heard about the
benefits of the EU in creating and guaranteeing them, but no one
among the leavers has been quite clear about which of these rights
would be guaranteed if we leave. So many questions have been left
unanswered about what Britain might be like if we left. Of course,
there is also the possibility we might still just have to follow any
regulations handed down by Brussels, but, crucially, with no choice or
influence over what they are. Norway is a clear example: it is required
to comply with EU legislation, such as the working time directive or the
agency workers directive, in exchange for access to the EU market,
but, crucially, with no vote on the decision making.
It is also unclear how leaving the EU could be better for our
businesses and for our trade, because the world in which we live and
trade is more globally interconnected than ever before. All the
alternatives to EU membership would represent a huge step
backwards in terms of trading with the EU and, I believe, with the rest
of the world as well.
It is the sheer number of uncertainties about leaving the EU that is so
concerning. People desperately want to know what leaving would
really mean. What would our relationship with the EU be? Would we
have access to the single market, and if so, on what terms? What
about our trading relationships with other countries. and what happens
to all the laws and rules we have that come from the EU? Resolving
such questions will be intricately complicatedso much so that it is
doubtful whether negotiations would be completed after a decade, let
alone in this Parliament. Let us think about that for a moment: where
will our lives be in a decades time? Let us think in particular about the
young people whose futures also lie in the balance on this decision:
where will they be after a decade?
Our economy is growing once more. In my view and that of the
Government, that is not an accident. It is the result of the sacrifices we
have all made, and the parts we have all played in fixing the economy.
A vote to leave, with all the uncertainties that surround it, will put all of
this countrys hard work at risk. Let us listen to our global allies such
as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany, and
indeed to businesses based in this countrynot just our major
financial corporations, but the smaller companies that rely on
exporting to the EU market. It is clear to me, as it is clear to them, that
it is by remaining in a reformed European Union that we can keep
growing, not bring about a recession of our own making; keep creating
jobs, not jeopardise peoples livelihoods; and keep attracting
investment, not lose out to our international competitors.
As I said at the start, this debate represents the final opportunity for
this House to look at this vital question. This is not about the narrow
interests of any one political party; it is about coming together in the
national interest. If, like me, the House believes Britain is stronger,
safer and better off in the EU, I urge it to support this motion.
Question put.

Photo news:

Campaigning for remain across Chelsea &

Fulham

Greg Hands MP campaigning across Chelsea & Fulham with local

supporters for a Remain vote on Thursday.

7 ways to contact Greg Hands MP:

By Phone:
By email:
By post:
In person:

020 7219 5448

mail@greghands.com
Greg Hands MP
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
Click here for details of how
to book an appointment at
Greg Handss weekly
surgery

www.greghands.com

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