Windsor MP vows to continue campaign against Heathrow third runway in Maiden Speech

Windsor MP Jack Rankin said he will continue his predecessor’s campaign against Heathrow’s third runway plans during his first speech in Parliament this week.

Mr Rankin made his Maiden Speech during a debate in the Commons on the Commonwealth of Nations on Tuesday.

During his speech, Mr Rankin paid homage to the constituency’s former MP Adam Afriyie and spoke of key issues he is focusing on and shared the history of the Windsor constituency.

He said: “The Windsor constituency is not just a series of beautiful towns and villages, although that is undoubtedly true, but it is one that encapsulates the glorious history of our constitution, the evolution of our parliamentary democracy and the very best of our shared Commonwealth of Nations. 

“Adam spent his years in Parliament campaigning against Heathrow’s third runway and that is a campaign which I will be continuing, as well as supporting many good local causes including the children’s charity Sebastian’s Action Trust.

“I also appreciated Adam’s work on fintech and his role as the longest serving chair of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

“As someone with a mathematics and physics academic background, it is clear to me that this place needs more of a quantitative and scientific approach.”

Reflecting on the history of the town, Mr Rankin said Windsor’s link with the Royal Family is ‘self-evident’, with William the Conqueror building Windsor Castle and the Royal House ‘proudly’ carrying the name.

Mr Rankin also highlighted other areas he represents including Ascot, Sunninghill, Sunningdale, Wraysbury and the latest additions of Runnymede meadow, Englefield Green, Virginia Water and the East of Langley in Slough, following the boundary changes.

Another issue he plans to tackle is flooding and will advocate for ‘proper flood defences for Datchet, Wraysbury, Horton and Old Windsor’.

He said: “Whether Wraysbury or Runnymede, it remains undeniable that there is a propensity for there to be too much water in both of these places.

“One of the things I will advocate for in this place is proper flood defences for Datchet, Wraysbury, Horton and Old Windsor.

“When the River Thames scheme is built as currently envisaged, these villages are disgracefully the only part of the Thames, from Taplow to the North Sea, which remain materially undefended.

“What was proposed as Channel 1 of the River Thames scheme must get funded centrally as national strategic infrastructure.”

Later in his speech, Mr Rankin said the concept that taxation should only be increased with the consent of the ‘community of the realm’, should give ‘the new Government pause for thought’.

“I recommend it as a good Conservative instinct because, in this House, the Treasury Bench - the Crown - should be cautious of levying taxation, especially if punitive or excessive, without gaining wide common counsel.”

Mr Rankin added that his counsel would be that as the new Government raises taxes, ‘that taxation will only gain wide consent if, and only if, it leads to a material improvement in the quality of public services’.

“This will not happen without quite radical public sector reforms to drive productivity improvements, which I seriously urge the Government to consider,” he said.

Mr Rankin said that he will be bringing ‘on many occasions’ the House’s attention to the ‘extraordinary wealth of cultural and historical riches’ tied to the history of the country which originate in the Windsor constituency.

He also spoke of the monarchy and paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II who ‘made Windsor her principal weekend retreat’ and ‘indeed, she made it her home.’

“She was the living embodiment every day of the model of Christian service and of the history and continuity of this country and its constitutional monarchy - the very essence of our great nation,” Mr Rankin added.