Senior MPs declare Government's response to Hurricane Irma 'found wanting'
4 min read
Senior MPs have told ministers that parts of the UK Government's response to Hurricane Irma have been "found wanting".
The damning assessment was laid out in a letter to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Development Secretary Priti Patel from committee chairs Tom Tugenhadt and Stephen Twigg.
Conservative MP Mr Tugenhadt - tipped as a rising star - is head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, while Labour MP Mr Twigg is chair of the International Development Committee.
Theresa May has rejected claims that the UK was too slow to join the aid effort as Irma barrelled its way to Caribbean islands including British overseas territories Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos.
She pointed out that £32 million worth of aid had been released, and that Royal Marines and Army Engineers had been dispatched with supplies to assist those affected by the deadly storm.
But in their letter, Mr Tugenhadt and Mr Twigg say they are "concerned that many in the UK overseas territories ... are still in grave need".
The letter says: "The devastation caused by Hurricane Irma has been greater than expected. It has left thousands without shelter, power and the supplies needed to survive.
"It has also seen many responses tested, and some found wanting.
"While we welcome the increase in funding for disaster relief in the British Overseas Territories to £32m and the fact that personnel, equipment and the RFA Mounts Bay were dispatched to the areas before the hurricane struck, arriving in Anguilla the day after the devastation, we are concerned that many in the in the UK overseas territories in the Caribbean are still in grave need.
"In Anguilla, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islans and Turks and Caicos, our response still requires improvement and the arrival of HMS Ocean in two weeks' time will be later than any of us would wish.
"We do recognise that information and anaysis is required to tailor a proportion of the relief sent to meet conditions on the ground, but there are also predictable needs and demands in such circumstances.
"Experts and many in the area have been critical of he overall level of relief currently on offer as well as the apparent lack of forward-thinking once the storm's route to Florida became more than just a possibility."
They add that Britain "must take a role" in the long-term reconstruction of the areas affected by the ferocious storm, and ask what the Government is doing to prepare for the damaged caused by Hurricane Jose.
"We very much hope that those in the region will be spared further damage, but should it be needed we hope you will ensure that the UK will do what it can to help those affected," the MPs say.
Mrs May chaired a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee this afternoon, but dodged questions about the UK's response when asked about it afterwards.
The Prime Minister said: "Every effort is being made to ensure that as much as possible can be done in advance of Hurricane Jose which is the next hurricane reaching that area.
"At the Cobra, I also heard directly from our Consul-General in Miami about the support that is being given to British nationals living in Florida and also British tourists in Florida, and we are of course working with the US authorities to ensure that every support is available and everything can be done before Hurricane Irma reaches Florida.
"And we are also working in the region, in the Caribbean, internationally with other partners – with the French and with the Dutch – and we are responding to a French request that we provide British military support to their efforts.
"But I also know that many families are finding it very difficult to find information and hear from and contact loved ones in the region. The Foreign Office has set up a specific hotline that people can contact to get information and support. And I would encourage anybody who is worried about families in the region to contact that Foreign Office hotline."
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
