John Lamont, the newly elected MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, has made his maiden speech in the UK Parliament today.
As part of the ongoing debate on the Queen’s Speech, John spoke about how lucky he felt to live in and represent one of the most beautiful and diverse parts of the United Kingdom.
He stated that he was “humbled by the trust and confidence placed on me by my constituents,” adding: “I am deeply grateful for their support and I promise to reciprocate by working as hard as I can to represent them, whatever their political views may be.”
John took the opportunity to highlight the history of the region, its common ridings and festivals, stating that while they were individual celebrations which demonstrated the fierce pride of individual Borders towns, they “tie the people of the Borderlands together in a show of pride and commonality.”
He also repeated his pledge to focus on improving connectivity, work towards extending the Borders railway on to Hawick and Carlisle and do all he can to ensure a Brexit deal which works for all constituents.
He also paid tribute to his predecessors Calum Kerr and Michael Moore and for their service to the region.
The full text of the speech is copied below:
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to deliver my maiden speech during such an important debate on the future of our country. The challenges ahead for all of us are profound.
Representing the Scottish Borders for 10 years in my previous role as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, was an honour and privilege. Now, as the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, I find myself once again humbled by the trust and confidence placed on me by my constituents. I am deeply grateful for their support and I promise to reciprocate by working as hard as I can to represent them, whatever their political views may be.
I count myself very lucky to live in and represent one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom. Due to the rural nature of constituency, it is one of the larger areas represented in this house. With size, comes great diversity.
Fishing communities like Eyemouth on the Berwickshire coast, paired with distinct and historic towns such as Duns, Coldstream, Hawick, Selkirk, St Boswells, Jedburgh, Newcastleton and Kelso; and then out to the valleys with the remote communities of Ettrick and Yarrow.
My new constituency now includes the towns of Galashiels, Melrose, Earlston and Lauder which I did not have the pleasure of representing in the past in my role in the Scottish Parliament.
For those of you who don’t know this part of Scotland, all of these Border towns, and the lands that surround them, are famed for their beauty. Their history runs deep, and this is clearly apparent from the centuries old Common Ridings and festivals that are held every year in many towns across the Borders.
And we have the glorious home of Sir Walter Scott – Abbotsford House – on the banks of the mighty River Tweed.
Of course, the rural and diverse nature of this constituency provides us with many challenges. I will make it my mission in this place to improve broadband connectivity, thus ensuring businesses can thrive and compete with the more urban areas of these islands. Similarly, the creation of an environment that allows for job creation is something that I will make a priority. In my view, creating good quality jobs is the best way of lifting people out of poverty.
Effective and sustainable transport links, including the extension of the Borders Railway to Hawick and on to Carlisle, together with better broadband connectivity and improving other infrastructure will be the key in pursuing this.
The challenges and opportunities thrown up from Brexit for my constituents, especially export businesses, farmers and fishermen, will be of fundamental importance over the coming years. I will work tirelessly to help ensure that we come out of this process even stronger and even more together than we are now.
Specifically, I look forward to working with the government on establishing the Borderlands Growth Deal that will not only secure economic prosperity but deepen ties between communities in both Southern Scotland and Northern England. These communities may be divided by the border line marked on the map, but we share many of the same challenges and the Borderlands Growth Deal gives us the opportunity to tackle these together.
Speaking in this great chamber today I am struck by the importance of effective parliamentary democracy. However, most of all, I am reminded of the great contributions my predecessors have made to this place. I know that my immediate predecessor, Calum Kerr, worked hard to ensure the voice of Borderers was heard. We had differing views on big political issues of the day but he is proud of his Borders roots and his contributions here was evidence of that. I wish him and his family well for the future.
Before him, Michael Moore represented this constituency for 18 years. Such long service and loyalty to the Borders will not be forgotten any time soon. His time as Secretary of State for Scotland at such a crucial time in our union and his successful Private Members Bill on international aid targets show that his influence was not confined to the Borders alone. I pay tribute to him here today too.
Mr Speaker, as previously mentioned, and in many respects like this place, the Borders is steeped in history and tradition. The foremost examples of this are our Common Ridings and festivals which are currently getting underway across the Borders.
All of the towns have their own distinct form of celebration and commemoration that take place. However, one things remain constant. All are a celebration of identity and pride, and allow those who gather there a chance to reflect on those who have come before them. Although a celebration of individuality, the events that take place in each town, tie the people of the Borderlands together in a show of pride and commonality. In Selkirk’s Common Riding, which took place last week, the focus – like many of these events - is on the Battle of Flodden in 1513 when 80 people from Selkirk - known as Souters – went to fight for King James IV against the English.
The King was killed in battle becoming the last monarch of our country to die in battle.
And only one Souter returned.
This reminds us that for centuries, whether at war with each other or side by side in war, the nations of our great country have always been intertwined and our deep, lasting ties are impossible to disentangle.
Our common ridings and festivals - which display such pride in one’s identity yet symbolise an overarching feeling of unity - are striking. Pair this with the rich history that all the nations of our union share and it is clear that we, and I am sure almost all of members will agree, have more in common with each other than not.
That we are, together, worth more than apart.
Perhaps this is clearer now than it has ever been in recent times. These values are what all us must fight for.
I look forward to playing my part as the member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk.
Once again, Mr Speaker, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude for allowing me to speak today and to my constituents for electing me to this place.
I hope to do my best in this Parliament for the Borders, Scotland and all of all of our United Kingdom.