However, it has shed some of its rural, Conservative voting residents in the merger. The old Cleethorpes constituency was always more of a bellwether, having voted Conservative since 2010. Labour will need an 11.7 point swing to win this newly-merged constituency back from the Conservatives. The electoral battle in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, Sky News' Target Towns, will be fierce. Like those who came before him, the shadow climate change secretary was acutely aware of their growing strategic importance. On Thursday, it was the turn of Ed Miliband. This is the place Michael Gove chose to launch the Conservatives' Levelling Up plan back in 2022.Īlmost everyone, from Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson, to Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer have in recent years paid these towns a visit. Residents of Grimsby and Cleethorpes are no strangers to ministerial visits. "Because at the moment, the humanitarian situation is dire, with people who are going hungry, people dying of disease, and with a shortage of food and medicine and all the things that people need."Īnalysis by Gurpreet Narwan, political correspondent And if we want to make a difference quickly, it is the number of trucks that go in that are the most important that we can measure. "And we've repeatedly called on the Israelis to change the things that need to be changed: more openings into Gaza, more UN staff inside Gaza able to transport the aid around Gaza, making sure that they switch back on the water and electricity that goes from Israel to Gaza. He said the last few days has seen an average of around 120 trucks going in, but he said: "We need more like 500 a day, not 120. "That would make a real difference, and we need to make a real difference right now."Īsked if he is frustrated with the Israelis, he replied: "This is frustrating because we need more aid to go in." It could take aid now - that would increase the amount of aid - and that aid can then be driven into Gaza.
"That is in Israel, but that's a working port.
He welcomed the idea from US President Joe Biden to build a temporary port in Gaza to deliver aid via the sea, and said the UK has been involved "from the start".īut he went on: "It's going to take time to build, so the crucial thing is today, the Israelis must confirm that they'll open the port at Ashdod.
Lord David Cameron said the UK has been "helping with the pre-screening of aid - we check it in Cyprus so it doesn't have to be re-checked when it arrives". The foreign secretary has been speaking to broadcasters, and he has demanded Israel does much more to allow aid into Gaza.