Northumberland MP travels to USA while constituents still without power

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative MP for Berwick Upon Tweed, is on a trade mission to the US.

Gale force winds brought down power lines and engineers have been battling for 10 days to get people reconnected but for many, the lights are still off.

In a visit to the North East on Sunday, Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said that it was “totally unacceptable” some people were still without electricity or running water more than a week after Arwen.

And with a yellow weather warning in place for tomorrow and Wednesday, due to high winds and up to 5cm of snow, there are fears it will take people even longer to get reconnected.

Ms Trevelyan has flown to New York and Washington to try and forge closer trade ties and remove Trump-era tariffs on British exports.

Earlier today, Northern Powergrid admitted around 1,600 homes in the North East were still without power.

Explaining the reason for her US visit, Ms Trevelyan said: “We share a thriving trade partnership with the US, which is driving investment into all corners of the UK helping to level up our economy, and create jobs and prosperity.

“From Teesside to Tulsa, there are huge opportunities to deepen the trading links benefiting communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We’ve already made strong progress; from getting British beef and lamb back on US plates, to lowering the cost of Scotch Whisky exports by addressing the long-running Airbus-Boeing issue. Now is the time to hit the ground running and get on with boosting ties with our closest ally.”

She met senior investors in New York today to promote the UK as the world’s most attractive investment destination, and follow up on progress made at the recent Global Investment Summit.

She is due to travel to Washington DC tomorrow to meet US trade representative Katherine Tai and members of Congress to discuss deepening trade ties, the UK and America’s shared approach to tackling market-distorting trade practices, and practical solutions to drive WTO reform.

The MP has come in for criticism on social media over the past week for not visiting towns or villages in her constituency which have been affected by the blackout.