I start with the sad news announced by the King this week. His Majesty King Charles has been very open in sharing his cancer diagnosis with the world. By sharing his journey, he helps break the stigma surrounding cancer and encourages others to seek support and treatment. We also think at this time of the Princess of Wales recovery from major surgery, and the Duchess of York with her skin cancer diagnosis. God bless The King and His family at this time. I know I speak for everyone when I wish them all speedy and full recoveries.
We have had extreme weather yet again. For those who lost power, were unable to attend appointments due to obstructed roads, or sadly had their homes flooded - I appreciate this will not have been the start to 2024 you were hoping for. That said, I was incredibly impressed by our response to this extreme weather and made a point of standing up in the Commons to pay tribute to all those involved in our storm resilience endeavours. While Government is investing a record £5.2 billion in flood defences – double the previous 6-year period – unfortunately extreme wet weather is becoming increasingly common. Therefore, I do hope recent storms provide the impetus to boost our long-term resilience.
Onto more positive news and, having steered Government policy for many months, I am delighted we are banning disposable vapes. While vaping is a key tool for adults to quit tobacco smoking, their bright colours and sweet flavours only serve to entice children to develop new addictions. New measures will stop the lithium wastage, high street littering, wild and domestic animal harm, and fires associated with disposable vapes. A huge thank you to everyone locally who shared my vision to protect our children and environment – and worked so hard to make it a reality.
Other campaign wins include Aldi implementing a ‘Best of Britain’ section on their website following pressure from our group of cross-party MPs to allow consumers to back homegrown produce and put our farmers first; Government setting out its landmark Women’s Health Strategy to break down obstacles women face in healthcare; and the Chancellor’s 2% National Insurance cut which is saving 27 million people an average of £450 a year on their tax bill.
And yet, as new issues develop more campaigns continue. With some local banks set to close this spring, I have thrown my weight behind a campaign to change the rules so banking hubs can step in earlier to retain a continuity of service on our high streets. I have written to the Financial Conduct Authority and look forward to a new common-sense approach which will put communities in the driving seat.
From the local to the international and as our Foreign Secretary said: “we live in very unstable, uncertain and dangerous times”. From Ukraine to the Middle East and beyond, our TV screens have been filled with distressing images. In Parliament, I sat on a special legislation committee to finetune new sanctions which squeeze the Russian economy – restricting Putin’s war machine and reaffirming our unwavering support for Ukraine. Moreover, I spoke in the Chamber on the military action in Yemen which is protecting freedom of navigation and the safety of shipping.
On shipping, this has been a month focused on trade talks – and particularly the need to stand up for British farmers who produce food to the highest international standards. This week, I chaired our EFRA Committee session to scrutinise these standards in new deals. While the food security implications are unsettling if we get deals wrong, I was delighted to secure confirmation from the Trade Secretary that the UK will never compromise and will continue to ban the importing of hormone-treated beef, ractopamine-treated pork and chlorine-washed poultry. I also quizzed the Fisheries Minister on how we can use our soft power to stamp out the practices of whaling and marine mammal bycatch among our coastal partners.
Also in Parliament, I have had a busy month contributing in the Chamber on a wide range of issues. This included everything from highlighting the need to protect older and vulnerable people from scammers and fraudsters; holding polluting companies to account over the health of our precious waterways; and implementing safe age-appropriate suicide prevention for our young folk in a Children's Mental Health Week debate.
I was joined too in Westminster by Billy Jones, a Warcop teacher who secured a spot on the UK Parliament Teacher Ambassador Programme. Giving educators the tools to engage our youngsters in democracy is vital to producing conscientious and active citizens of the future, so it was really heartening to speak with Billy. Having visited the school, it is clear that Warcop youngsters are in great hands.
This month also saw the implementation of new legislation regarding XL Bully Dogs. I've always maintained that sadly this emergency legislation was necessary to protect public safety and the safety of other animals but now continues a much longer piece of work on responsible dog ownership to tackle illicit breeders, provide better training and support rehoming charities. All the while, my usual EFRA work continued with inquiries into land-based education, urban green spaces and fisheries negotiations.
Finally, I end on a sombre note as this month we reflected on one of the darkest times of world history. I speak of Holocaust Memorial Day, before which I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment – pledging on behalf of my constituents to honour the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered in the Holocaust and paying tribute to survivors who work tirelessly to educate people today. We must never forget.
