Pfizer (Sandwich)

Charlie Elphicke Excerpts

Monday 7th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Laura Sandys) on her heroic efforts to corral and bring together the east Kent MPs, Kent county council, Dover district council and Thanet district council within 24 hours to make sure that there was a clear plan for a changeover from the large “big pharma” site to the new model of universities and smaller businesses collaborating and developing things in the future. I simply wish to support her point about the disgraceful transport links that we have to put up with. We need to get the fast line put in from Sandwich and Deal through to London, and we need Manston and the A256 corridor to be developed. That would enable us to have more jobs and more money, and would provide more effective business options for the people of Dover, Deal, south and north Thanet, and east Kent as a whole.