Joe Robertson

Joe Robertson is the Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East.

The government must protect our coastguard

From our UK edition

A helicopter took off from Sandown on the Isle of Wight during August bank holiday last summer in what should have been a routine flying lesson, taking in views of the beautiful coastline. But onlookers soon spotted it spiralling out of control and emergency services rushed to the scene. The emergency service first to respond was not the ambulance, police or fire. It was the coastguard. Tragically, all three passengers died. Most people have never come across coastguard rescue officers (CROs), but when lives are on the line around Britain’s 19,000 miles of coastline, they are often first to answer.