APRIL 2019 ISSUE 050
www.winchestertoday.co.uk
MP: “I JUST COULD NOT STAY ON AS JUNIOR HEALTH MINISTER” Steve Brine described as “exemplary” by PM By KEVIN GOVER News Editor YOU probably all saw the Guardian headline… ‘Parliament finally has its say: No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No.’ Eight times, indicative voting results on eight different Brexit scenarios were rejected by MPs. It came at the end of a tumultuous week in which our own MP put his constituency first and became one of 30 MPs to rebel against the Government. Many more votes will probably have been carried out since then and you
reading this. Speaking to Winchester Today just after his resignation, Steve outlined why he had taken what he termed as “the honourable thing to do” in his decision to resign from the Government: “The House of Commons had been very clear for some time - as had I - that a ‘No Deal’ was not acceptable - but you can’t just wish away No Deal. We had to have a Deal. “I had always thought the PM’s Deal was a good one, but (up to that moment) the Commons had not supported that… and you can’t just keep doing
Steve Brine at PMQs after he had resigned from the Government
the same thing hoping it gets over the line. It needed a ‘Plan B’. That’s what the indicative voting was all about - to see across the Commons if there was a consensus and that there is something that could get through.” Well, we all know now what happened in that series of indicative votes. A week was certainly another very long time in politics. But one in which Theresa May at Prime Minister’s Questions took time to praise Steve for his time in the Government: “He was an exemplary Minister.”
Easter message from the Dean page 3
IT’S (ALMOST) HERE AGAIN! Hat Fair on lookout for helpful volunteers By SAMANTHA DELAMORE IT’S not long before the UK’s longest-running Street festival of the outdoor arts will be back with us, and Hat Fair is on the search for volunteers ahead of its 2019 event this summer. The event began back in 1974 and was originally a buskers’ fair but was renamed as the donations were placed in a hat. This tradition is still going on today with hatters accepting donations at the end of the event. The popularity of the event has increased over the years and last year Hat Fair saw over 70,000 attendances. The free festival brings thousands of visitors to Winchester to experience a one-of-a-kind event, with lots of activities and shows to enjoy. Acts from all over the world also come to Hat Fair and perform across the city. Andrew Loretto (pictured left) is Hat Fair Director, and says the festival is so much more for than the name: “It’s dance performances, circus performances, street theatre, walkabout acts, music and choirs. continued on page 3 ➜
A fine farewell to Jersey Boys page 12
Kings’ art lights up the Cathedral page 16
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