On Thursday 17 February Karl welcomed our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to Lincoln and RAF Waddington highlighting the commitment the Conservative Government has to the City and to the air station.
Karl reflects on the importance of the visit and the positivity that it brings to the future of the City and County. “In January I extended a personal invitation to Boris Johnson to visit Lincoln, and on Thursday last week, I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister and accompany him on a whistle-stop tour of our fine city.
“The visit kicked off with a blustery walk around of RAF Waddington, where we met some of our outstanding RAF intelligence and reconnaissance specialists and saw the world-class aircraft and equipment that operate from the base. The Prime Minister noted that ‘RAF Waddington is an incredible centre for intelligence gathering and surveillance – excellence that was reflected in the exemplary attention to detail of those who arranged the visit and guided us during our tour.
“We then went on to a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging meeting at the newsroom of the Lincolnite, where we answered questions from journalists, council leaders and the paper’s readers.
“Key amongst the concerns raised were those regarding the future of devolution for Lincoln. The Prime Minister was full of praise for the City of Lincoln and unequivocal in his support for Greater Lincolnshire having priority devolution status, which he said the Government is ‘very keen’ to push ahead with. I was also pleased to hear positive and constructive comments on the issue from Lincolnshire County Council Leader, Cllr Martin Hill.
“We rounded off the day with a visit to Scunthorpe and a meeting with business representatives and our local Conservative Party members. A recurring theme throughout, were questions regarding the impact of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda on our region, as Cllr Alexander Maughan put it: ‘With the Humber Freeport in place and promises for a devolution deal, there are exciting times ahead for our region!’
“The whole day was hugely positive and the fact that the Prime Minister made the time in a very busy week to come to Lincoln shows how important our City and County are to him and the UK as a whole. The fact that we have had high levels of investment in our road and rail system, our heritage, our City centre, universities and college, hospital and in RAF Waddington shows the commitment that the Prime Minister and the Conservatives have in our wonderful City. It proves again that we are the best place in Britain to live, work, study and visit.”
Speaking on the BBC during the visit, the Prime Minister said: “I am glad to be here with my colleague and friend Karl. We are supporting Lincolnshire in every possible way. We have massively increased NHS funding, £1.9 million for the Lincoln Town’s Fund and my hero to my right [Karl McCartney] secured funding for the Eastern Bypass. We want to invest in roads, infrastructure and skills and technology.”
A short video of the day was also produced and can be viewed on Facebook.
