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Storm Goretti 2026-01-13
13 January 2026
Lead MP
Andrew George
Debate Type
Urgent Question
Tags
Economy
Other Contributors: 16
At a Glance
Andrew George raised concerns about storm goretti 2026-01-13 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Will the Minister confirm that the response to Storm Goretti was adequate? The MP raises concerns about the level of media coverage and government attention given to Cornwall compared to more central regions. He also questions the reliability of utility company reports and the resilience of communication systems during such outages.
St Ives
Question
The MP has described the impact of Storm Goretti on Cornish communities. He points out that if similar destruction had occurred in London or the home counties, it would have received more media coverage and potentially a national emergency declaration. The MP also raises concerns about unreliable utility company reports regarding reconnected homes and the reliance on digital communication systems which were cut off during the storm, leaving many isolated and unable to communicate their vulnerability.
Minister reply
The Government cares deeply about all constituents across the UK, including those in Cornwall. The Minister assures that Cornwall will receive the same emergency support, recovery funding, and resilience measures as other parts of the country. He acknowledges the particular vulnerabilities of coastal and rural communities and commits to ensuring no community feels overlooked due to location. The Cabinet Office continues to work closely with relevant departments to ensure a robust recovery effort.
Jayne Kirkham
Lab/Co-op
Truro and Falmouth
Question
The MP thanks the emergency services, volunteers, and everyone in Cornwall for their response during Storm Goretti. She highlights the exposure of vulnerabilities in infrastructure and emergency planning due to unreliable communications technology post-digital shift and failure without power. The MP asks if satellite communication could be prioritised for future incidents given climate change impacts.
Minister reply
The Minister recognises the seriousness of these issues and acknowledges the need to improve resilience, particularly regarding communication systems during emergencies. He commits to considering improvements in this area.
Perran Moon
Lab
Camborne and Redruth
Question
Will the Minister commit to a comprehensive cross-departmental review of the resilience of essential Cornish and Scillonian infrastructure, communications, and priority list support?
Minister reply
The Minister thanked his hon. Friend for raising these points and assured him that he is happy to continue the conversation about Cornwall's specific resilience needs.
Tim Farron
LD
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
Does the Minister agree that this storm exposes vulnerabilities in our energy, water, and communications infrastructure? Will he ensure that flooding issues are reflected in farming recovery funding criteria and increase the environmental land management schemes budget?
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged the hon. Gentleman's points about vulnerabilities and flooding, stating that such matters are considered collectively as part of resilience work with other Government Departments.
Anna Gelderd
Lab
South East Cornwall
Question
Will the Government prioritise vulnerable households during severe weather events to ensure faster restoration times?
Minister reply
The Minister assured that currently, 193 customers remain without power in the south-west, with 82 identified as vulnerable customers. Local authorities and resilience forums have provided alternative accommodation, battery packs for medical equipment, transportation, crisis packs, and hot food and drinks to support these households.
Noah Law
Lab
St Austell and Newquay
Question
The MP thanks emergency services for their work during the storm. He raises concerns about unacceptably slow restoration of infrastructure such as rail lines, broadband, and phone lines in Cornwall four days after the storm. Will the Minister confirm a commitment to build infrastructure resilience in Cornwall?
Minister reply
The Minister reiterates his earlier commitment, agreeing that there is an absolute requirement to work at pace to restore services when they are lost. He assures the MP that the Government will work carefully with Great Western Railway and National Rail to ensure this happens.
Ben Maguire
LD
North Cornwall
Question
The MP congratulates Andrew George on securing the urgent question and criticises the lack of a Cobra meeting or national emergency declaration. He mentions that his constituents did not receive emergency alerts and raises concerns about the unfairness of the Bellwin scheme for larger authorities like Cornwall Council, facing real-terms budget cuts over three years. Will the Government commit to emergency financial support?
Minister reply
The Minister expresses disappointment with the MP’s initial point but emphasises that the Government took the situation very seriously and worked at pace throughout last week, weekend, and into this week. The response was good in the main.
Suffolk Coastal
Question
The MP mentions severe coastal erosion affecting several homes in Suffolk Coastal, with one home demolished due to storm-induced erosion. Will the Minister meet to discuss issues such as the coastal erosion assistance grant and how it can support affected communities?
Minister reply
The Minister confirms that he will ensure the MP gets a meeting with the most appropriate Minister, whether from DEFRA or the Cabinet Office, depending on the specific issue.
Mark Pritchard
Con
The Wrekin
Question
The MP thanks local services for their efforts during the storm and mentions 10,000 homes losing power at its peak. He raises issues with fallen trees blocking M54 and main railway lines into Birmingham, suggesting a review of chainsaws available to Network Rail, Highways England, and National Grid.
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledges the significant points raised and confirms that work has taken place to look at the number of chainsaws. He expresses willingness to discuss this further with the MP.
Glasgow West
Question
The MP mentions connectivity issues following a recent storm in Scotland where islanders on the isle of Tiree were without connection for six days. She asks if the Minister will look at resilience and ensure better future activity.
Minister reply
The Minister assures that he takes resilience seriously, particularly connectivity, and agrees to work with her and colleagues across the House to improve resilience.
Jamie Stone
LD
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Question
The MP expresses concern about Caithness being completely cut off during the storm. He suggests that Cobra should formally look at why the Scottish Government was ill-prepared for such a major disaster.
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledges the points made by the MP and agrees to discuss them further, emphasising the importance of working closely with the devolved nations.
Adam Jogee
Lab
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Question
The MP mentions the disgraceful response of Staffordshire county council during Storm Goretti, noting poor preparations and empty grit bins. He asks what pressure can be applied to ensure better community safety in future bad weather.
Minister reply
The Minister notes that councils play an important role and there is a review process (hot and cold reviews) to look closely at what has happened during challenging circumstances. Opportunities will exist for the MP to feed into this process.
Helena Dollimore
Lab/Co-op
Hastings and Rye
Question
Dollimore highlighted that people in Sussex and Kent are still without water due to power outages caused by Storm Goretti, despite brief interruptions. She questioned the current ranking of loss of water supply on the national risk register, suggesting it may need reconsideration.
Minister reply
My hon. Friend makes important points, and I will undertake to look at her specific point about the risk register. Colleagues in DEFRA continue to monitor the situation closely and are engaging with industry partners.
Chichester
Question
Brown-Fuller raised concerns about shipping containers being lost off the south coast during Storm Goretti, posing risks to public safety and the environment. She asked what lessons can be learned regarding maritime resilience.
Minister reply
The hon. Lady makes an important point, and it will have been heard by ministerial colleagues in a number of Government Departments. I will ensure that she gets a response from the appropriate Minister.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
Shannon raised concerns about travel disruptions caused by Storm Goretti, with many flights being cancelled at Heathrow and other airports. He suggested that there should be pre-warning for such events to avoid unnecessary journeys.
Minister reply
I am pleased that the hon. Member made it back to Northern Ireland last Thursday. We take matters relating to resilience incredibly seriously, and we seek to ensure that it is an effort joined up right across the United Kingdom.
Government Response
I thank the hon. Gentleman for securing this urgent question. May I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the man who tragically lost his life in Cornwall during Storm Goretti? Last week, the Met Office issued a red weather warning for wind covering south-east England, with wider parts of the UK covered by amber and yellow warnings for wind, snow and rain... (The full initial response includes details about emergency alerts, infrastructure damage, power outages, support to vulnerable customers, recovery efforts, local resilience forum work, and commitments to support Cornwall.)
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Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
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