• Luke pays tribute to the efforts of emergency services tackling two storms in two weeks
• Luke again calls on more funding to be put in place for flood defences
• Luke demands PM calls a COBRA meeting to plan the government’s response

Following a second storm in recent weeks and with many flooded communities across the community, Luke has called for more funding for flood defences to protect people and their homes. Luke had this to say:

“As Britain is battered by further storms I want to thank emergency services, the military, local councils and volunteers for protecting homes and businesses from flooding.

As the climate crisis deepens extreme weather will become more frequent and severe. That is why Labour is calling on Ministers to recognise that they are not doing enough to fund flood protections especially for communities that have repeatedly been flooded.

It is simply not good enough for Ministers to shrug their shoulders as homes are flooded again. We need a new strategy to protect homes, working with communities that are underwater. Austerity doesn’t protect homes and businesses and that’s why we need a properly funded plan to prevent flooding and fast”.

So far, the government have been slow to react. The Prime Minister hasn’t visited any flood-affected communities or convened a COBRA (emergency government) meeting. Luke has called on the government to do so immediately to maximise public safety and plan a robust response to these most recent storms.

There is also the question of what has happened since the last COBRA meeting in November. Clearly, it is not enough.

Flooding in Ivybridge from @siwalton