Politically Speaking by Mark Eastwood MP: Remembrance tribute to Yorkshire Regiment

Mark Eastwood MP writes: This year marks 100 years of Remembrance as we know it today, with the Royal British Legion marking its centenary year. On Monday, I was delighted to plant a Remembrance stick in Parliament’s very first Constituency Garden of Remembrance. I dedicated my Remembrance tribute to the Yorkshire Regiment for their courage and resolve. I also look forward to paying my respects at Remembrance ceremonies this weekend in Dewsbury and Mirfield.

As always, I have enjoyed being out and about in the constituency. Last week I visited some local schools as part of UK Parliament Week and it was also good to join the Yorkshire Ambulance Service on my visit to Manor Croft Academy in Dewsbury for Restart A Heart Day, a global awareness day aimed at increasing bystander CPR. On the day, I learned that a cardiac arrest patient’s chance of survival dramatically increases if CPR can begin before the ambulance service arrives on the scene, which shows the value of learning CPR. I am grateful to the Ambulance Service for sharing these life-saving skills as part of the campaign.

This Friday, I am looking forward to attending the annual general meeting and party of Mirfield in Bloom, which is a community group dedicated to making Mirfield an even better place to live. The group has also twice won Gold in the Yorkshire in Bloom competition despite the group only being in existence for four years, and I pay tribute to the work they continue to do.

I have also now undertaken my first day on the Police Service Parliamentary Scheme, which gives MPs the experience of how their local police work. I am grateful to West Yorkshire Police for giving me first-hand insight into driver, public order and firearms training along with drill practice.

The recent announcement that 619 more police officers have been recruited in West Yorkshire is excellent news. From working with our local police force, I know just how valuable 619 more police officers will be in helping to crack down on crime. These additional recruits show that – once again – we are delivering on our manifesto commitments, keeping communities safe and delivering on the people’s priorities.

At last week’s town board meeting, we received an update on the fibre ducting project. This will facilitate the installation of a fibre broadband network into key buildings in Dewsbury town centre. This work is vital to the success of attracting businesses into the town centre and helping existing businesses thrive because full fibre provides near unlimited bandwidth and reliability, with speeds up to approximately 1,000Mbps.

Finally, as we go through the autumn and winter, it is understandable that people are concerned about coronavirus. Booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are being given to those who were vaccinated in the first phase of the rollout earlier this year, and this will be no earlier than six months after an individual’s second dose.

I urge everyone eligible to get their booster vaccine as soon as possible by booking online or at one of our local walk-in sites.

As always, if you would like to visit parliament or would like to contact me about any other matter, please get in touch. The team and I are here to help. You can contact me via email:

[email protected] or telephone 01924 939 007.