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MPTom to head select commiee


TOM Tugendhat MP has been ap- pointed chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, just two years after first being elected to parliament. The role of the Foreign Affairs Se-


lect Committee – which will have five Conserva- tives,


five


Labour and one SNP on the panel – is to scrutinise the work of the government and ensure that


views ofMPsare reflected in policy. Mr Tugendhat, pictured, topped


the ballot of MPs from all political parties, and is the first member of the 2015 or 2017 intake of MPs to have been elected to chair a major select committee. He said: “I’ll be trying to focus on matters specific to the UK. “Foreign policy can be seen as a


bit esoteric and irrelevant to people, but foreign policy will determine how we succeed as a country over the next generation. The country has taken a very radical decision to


leave the EU, so foreign policy is going to be vitally important.” Mr Tugendhat (44) succeeded Sir


John Stanley in 2015 and was re- elected as the member for Ton- bridge and Malling in June this year. Hespent his early post-university


career as a soldier, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by 2013. Before entering parliament he


acted as a military adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Lord (David) Richards and was a diplomat in Afghanistan. Mr Tugendhat added: “We have


to ask what ‘global Britain’ actually means.We need to work out where we are going to invest, what our pri- orities are going to be and build for- eign policy around that.” The MP said that while the select committee has “a lot of influence” in shaping foreign policy, the chair- man only has some. He added: "I am honoured to


have been elected to this important post, scrutinising the government to ensure our foreign policy works. This will enablemeto champion the views expressed in parliament, es- pecially those of our community.”


News Children go wild at park


HUNDREDS of families enjoyed pond-dipping, orienteering and mini- beast hunting during a free wildlife activity day and art workshop at Leybourne Lakes Country Park. The park’s rangers led activities for children, who enjoyed exploring


the park, spotting the creatures that live there and getting their hands dirty making bird feeders using lard and seed, which they took home to hang in their gardens. Representatives


from the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership hosted stalls, giving the children the chance to press flowers, take part in natural arts and crafts and have their faces painted. The SWSWoodland Conservation team was also on hand to demonstrate traditional woodland crafts and give visitors the opportunity to try tools such as a two-man saw and a wood lathe. Cllr Maria Heslop, Tonbridge &Malling Borough Council’s cabinet member for community services, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped to organise this magical wildlife activity day, which really captured the imagination of the children. “In particular, I’d like tomention the Leybourne Lakes Conservation


Volunteers who put in a tremendous effort to help the rangers run the activities and man the stalls.”


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Malling August 2017 13


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