Politically Speaking - Imran Khan, MP for Wakefield

The flooding in the Calder valley over the past two weeks has caused devastation for constituents in Horbury Bridge, Horbury Junction and Calder Grove where parts of The Navigation pub have been destroyed.

I have endeavoured to meet as many householders and business owners as I can and to see what I can do to help them in the immediate, medium and long-term.

I appreciate that other areas of our city have also experienced problems and I am keen to know what they are and where they have occurred.

Please email me if you have had difficulties at, [email protected]

In the case of Horbury Bridge it would seem that intervention by the Environment Agency with the installation of a temporary pump on Parklands has helped prevent the worst of the flooding recurring last weekend.

I think we have something of a clear idea of how the flooding problems here can be resolved. I shall be putting pressure on all agencies to ensure that it is done, sooner rather than later.

The problems in the other two areas would seem far more challenging to resolve because of simple geography, but the clearance of ditches and other waterways would seem to be a key issue.

I took the opportunity to raise the issue of flooding in the constituency in Parliament with the prime minister at PMQs.

He assured me that £4Bn was available for flood prevention and I shall be working with Wakefield MDC and my local councillors to ensure that we get as much of that money as we can, into the affected areas. The prime minister is also trying to arrange his diary to enable him to visit us and see the aftermath for himself.

The fire at Speedibake on February 1 made national headlines, such was its severity. The bakery has been completely destroyed. I have been in touch with the company and I am keen to assist any constituent finding themselves affected by the fire, particularly those who may have lost their jobs. If you think I can help then please email me

The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has performed brilliantly well in dealing with both of these events and I would again like to offer my thanks to those involved. Thank you on behalf of us all.

And finally, on a lighter note. This weekend I invited the speaker of the commons, well-known Warrington supporter, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, up to Belle Vue for a Sunday afternoon spanking by Wakefield Trinity. And that was exactly what he got as we turned over the team, reputed to be the best in the Super League, 18-8, after a less than convincing outing at Hull two weeks ago.

Last week’s postponed match against Catalan Dragons obviously gave the coaching staff time to turn things around. This win wasn’t just luck and it wasn’t because Warrington played badly. It was because Wakefield deserved it.

How the whole thing will affect my chances of being called to speak by Mr Speaker in future we will see but I hope he will remain as fair as ever.

Well done to Michael Carter and his team for providing some great entertainment and long may it continue. Trinity will always have my full support. And I will knock on every door I need to in order to get that new stadium built.