Joe Robertson MP met with the new Maritime Minister, Keir Mather MP, earlier this week to keep the case for ferry regulation firmly on the table as part of the ongoing negotiations with the Government.
It follows a separate meeting between the Minister and West Wight MP Richard Quigley last week.
In April, Mr Mather’s predecessor Mike Kane met with the Island’s MPs and ferry representatives in Cowes with a promise to set up a Department of Transport-led task force to look into making improvements to ferries.
The Prime Minister had already said that Isle of Wight ferries had ‘not been good enough’ at the dispatch box in the House of Commons.
When he was appointed in September, Mr Mather was quick to agree to meet with both MPs to pick up on the work left by his predecessor.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Robertson said:
“I am confident that the new Minister understands the problem: that we are the only part of the UK completely beholden to unregulated private equity firms for essential travel.
“We are not asking for special treatment – we are asking to be taken out of uniquely unfair treatment which has led to astronomical prices, dwindling timetables and unreliable services.
Article continues below this advertisement “If the Department for Transport does not want to administer new ferry regulations, then the Government can instead hand powers to the new Mayor for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. I have tabled an amendment to the English Devolution bill for that purpose too.”
The Island’s Conservative and Labour MPs have been working cross-party on the ferry issues since they were elected in July 2024.
Mr Robertson went on to say:
“The Minister understands that there is political consensus on this issue locally and we are all working together. This is not a case of me bashing the Labour Government. I want it to succeed on this issue, but it must act. It cannot do nothing with our ferry problem while it is intervening in trains buses and other essential transport nationally.
“The Minister agreed to regular meetings with Richard Quigley and me together in the future which is very welcome.”
Well done and thank you for keeping this issue in the news.
the ferries are a private business and for profit. The state has no business telling private for profit businesses how much they can charge and how often they provide their services.
the only way the ferries will be cheaper and operate more services, is if the state puts money into the ferry companies and that is never going to happen, ever.
Forget ferries, get a tunnel…