Labour’s campaign for the General Election is in full swing across the South-East. Labour’s pledges are to :

• Secure the recovery
• Raise family living standards
• Build a high tech economy
• Protect frontline services
• Strengthen fairness in communities

So far I have been pleased to join members on the campaign trail:

* in Reading West where Naz Sarkar is standing (photo top left), Anneliese Dodds PPC for Reading East (photo top right)and Matt Rodda PPC for East Surrey (photo bottom left) were also there

* in Gillingham and Rainham where Paul Clark is seeking re-election

* in Chatham and Aylesford where Jonathan Shaw is seeking re-election

* and in Portsmouth North where Sarah Buckley-Ryan is seeking re-election

This is a crucial election - the Tories isolationist and backwards approach to Europe alone underlines the importance of the choice at stake.

I am looking forward to joining the campaign trail in a constituency near you.

South East residents are rightly proud of the variety of birdlife in the region, particularly seabirds, with the seabird sanctuary in Dungeness one of the premier sanctuaries in the UK.

It is with this in mind that I have contacted the new EU Commissioner for fisheries, Maria Damanki, requesting she take swift action to approve and implement an EU action plan for seabirds.

Birdlife International recently revealed that up to 2 million seabirds have died in the last 10 years as a result of fishing industry practices in the waters around Europe and the Atlantic. This unnecessary slaughter must not be allowed to continue.

The action plan – which the EU committed to producing over a decade ago – will introduce minimum mitigation standards across Europe’s fishing fleet to minimise the by-catch of birds by European fishermen, and require greater reporting of bird deaths.

Alongside other Labour Euro MPs I will continue to keep the pressure up on the Commission to publish and implement the action plan, meanwhile residents in the South East interested in the subject can join me in signing an online petition to register their desire for the speedy implementation plan at the following address -  http://www.birdlife.org/eu/EU_policy/Fisheries_Marine/seabird_pledge.html

On Tuesday 2nd March I was interviewed alongside Nigel Farage of UKIP on BBC Radio Kent. The topic of discussion with the childish antics (again) of the UKIP head-honcho. He made a fool of himself again during this interview. Listen for yourself.PeterSkinnerNigelFarage

Each year I am able to sponsor 100 constituents on subsidised group visits of 30 persons or more. In December 2009, 44 constituents from across the South-East visited me in the European Parliament at Brussels.

During the first evening in Brussels visitors were able to visit the Grande Place area and the Christmas market.

The second morning saw the visit to the European Parliament itself, a briefing from the visits unit, followed by a discussion with me and a number of my fellow MEPs (pictured). We discussed in particular the talks taking place that week in Copenhagen to reduce climate change. Some of the delegates then went on that afternoon to an evidently very interesting talk and discussion given by a speaker from the European Commission about the history of the European Union.

Feedback indicates that people found the visit both educational and enjoyable:

“ an excellently organised and most interesting and enjoyable trip” Paul and Ann from Brighton

“History lecture was particularly good (The Commission)” Fran and Derek from Waterlooville

“ a very useful and educational experience to be able to visit the parliament and the commission. It was good to be able to hear from you, your colleagues and staff as well as the officials” Brian and Tomiko from Reading

A visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg will be advertised later this year. Please let me know if you are interested in coming on a future sponsored visit on email southeast {at} peterskinnermep(.)eu or ring me on 01322 270345.