Dr Neil Hudson MP used his first speech as Member of Parliament for Epping Forest to give a wide-ranging address in praise of his "beautiful" constituency and outlining his priorities for the coming Parliament.
From protecting the precious green belt from central Government targets and continuing to reduce crime in Essex; to bolstering the UK's defence forces and focussing on boosting mental health outcomes, Dr Hudson laid out some of his most pressing concerns in a debate centred on the new Government's King's Speech - where their legislative agenda was laid out to Parliament and the public.
Specifically, Dr Hudson pushed the incoming Government to continue the Conservatives' proud legacy in Epping Forest by making sure they recommit to a new community diagnostic centre at St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping and rebuilds for the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and Whipps Cross Hospital.
On top of this he praised both Roger Hirst, the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Ben-Julian Harrington, Essex Police's Chief Constable for their strong leadership in keeping our streets safe. While crime has dropped significantly in the past five years, there is always more to do and Dr Hudson has written to both men regarding constituent concerns on crime locally.
Speaking afterwards, Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"As I said in the Chamber, it is a truly humbling honour to represent this community that I love and that has given me and my family so much over the years and I shall endeavour to repay Epping Forest's vote of confidence in me with hard work, compassion and results.
"While this was my first speech, expect many more to come - standing up for the good folk of Epping Forest and being their voice in Parliament. Now the hard work begins."
As the first vet elected since 1884, Dr Hudson has one of the strongest track records on animal health and welfare in the House, and urged Labour not to lose momentum from the Conservative Government's recent strides forward. While expressing disappointment that Labour have not outlined concrete plans in the area, he advocated for the banning of puppy and heavily-pregnant dog smuggling as well as the importation of dogs with cropped ears - issues he has fought hard on since his first election in 2019.
Having witnessed the grim toll mental illness can take on his fellow vets when dealing with particularly stressful and harrowing situations, another issue close to Dr Hudson's heart is improving mental health. He has worked closely with mental health champions, the 3 Dads Walking, and will continue this work to carry through Conservative plans to bring safe and age-appropriate suicide prevention into schools - thus improving mental health outcomes across society for generations to come.
Dr Hudson also paid tribute to the outgoing MP, Dame Eleanor Laing who will now sit in the House of Lords, and her "27 years of tireless service on behalf of Epping Forest" and even Epping's most distinguished MP, Sir Winston Churchill.
Dr Hudson's full speech, as reported by Hansard:
"I must start my first speech of this Parliament by expressing to my constituents how humbled I am to be elected as their new Member of Parliament for Epping Forest. Epping Forest has given so much to me and my family over so many years and it is an honour and privilege to try to repay that and stand up in Westminster for our fantastic communities.
"I cannot mention my constituency without mentioning my predecessor, Dame Eleanor Laing. I pay tribute to her 27 years of tireless service on behalf of Epping Forest and this place, as an MP, in shadow Cabinet and as Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Ways and Means. She was in the Chair for my maiden speech, a very personal and emotional occasion, a few days after the passing of my father Christopher, her constituent whom she knew so well. I am so pleased that she will continue in public service in the other place. Our area is privileged to have been represented not only by Dame Eleanor Laing, but by the former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, who represented the then seat of Epping from 1924 to 1945.
"Today we are talking about home affairs and security. I want to pay tribute to our brave, hard-working police on the frontline, who are keeping our streets and communities safe and secure in Essex and right across the country; to our brilliant Essex police, fire and crime commissioner Roger Hirst; and to our chief constable, Ben-Julian Harrington. They have truly led the way in reducing crime, with antisocial behaviour down by at least 63% in the past five years. I firmly believe that that needs to continue. I know, of course, that my constituents in Epping Forest feel that there is a lot more we need to do to keep our communities secure and safe; their concerns include violent crime, fly-tipping, drug crime, burglary, shoplifting, fraud and car crime.
"We also need to think about international security. I am proud that the previous Conservative Government supported Ukraine and I am pleased that the new Labour Government will be doing that as well. I was disappointed that the new Government omitted from the King’s Speech our cast-iron commitment to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence; I really urge them to move forward on that quickly.
"I welcome the fact that in the King’s Speech mental health was given the same attention and focus as physical health. Parity of esteem between mental and physical health is so important; it is something that I have raised since my maiden speech. I urge the Government to confirm the work we did with 3 Dads Walking to get age-appropriate suicide prevention on to the school curriculum to protect our young people.
"As a veterinary surgeon, I was disappointed by the lack of any mention of animal health and welfare in the King’s Speech. In the last Parliament, huge strides were made to bolster our reputation in the area of animal welfare, with the Animal Welfare Sentencing Act 2021 and the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. I urge the Government to continue that progress and to support legislation on issues such as banning the smuggling of puppies and heavily pregnant dogs and the importation of dogs with cropped ears.
"Epping Forest is a beautiful area and has precious green spaces, but I am nervous that the Labour Government will put some of that in jeopardy by re-badging the green belt as grey belt. We must make sure that new housing is put in the right places and that infrastructure is protected. I urge this Government to carry on with the capital build projects committed to by the previous Conservative Government: a new community diagnostic centre at St Margaret’s hospital in Epping and rebuilds for the Princess Alexandra hospital in Harlow and Whipps Cross hospital—hospitals my constituents depend on. Those projects were committed to by the previous Government and I urge the Labour Government to carry on with them in full.
"It is important that we as a constructive Opposition help this Government to serve our communities and get things right, but that we point out things when we feel they are getting them wrong. I wish this Government well, and I look forward to working with colleagues across the House on important issues of public health, animal health and welfare, protecting our green spaces and ensuring that our constituents have access to the good health and education systems that they deserve."
