IT IS nearly Christmas, so in this column, I reflect on the year that has gone: my first full calendar year as your Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Minehead.

I would be disingenuous if I said that this has been an easy year: war and genocide abroad in Ukraine and in Gaza, continued pressures on the cost of living at home, and the awful tragedy on Exmoor over the summer. But in each of those cases, and the many more that I can’t mention here (that would take me until next Christmas), I am so proud of our community.

I had hoped that this year, we would see meaningful improvement from the Labour government than we did in the back end of last year. I hoped there might be a plan from the government to tackle the issues about which my constituents regularly contact me. I hoped this government might recognise the harm it has been doing to my farmers, and hospitality businesses. These hopes have sadly been in vain.

As Parliament closes for the Christmas recess, I can safely say that there is no plan, no overarching strategy, and no sense of direction from this government. Yes, we can applaud the lifting of the two child benefit cap, which will lift 450,000 children out of poverty (620 in my constituency), we can also applaud the reintegration with the Erasmus scheme, which will be a great benefit to the next generation of learners, and workers, but pubs in my constituency have been faced with sky rocketing business rates, the jobs tax, and supply chain pressures. The promises made in the 2024 manifesto ring hollow.

In 2026, I am determined to make progress on my key campaigns, on behalf of my constituents, to uplift the opportunities, ambitions and aspirations of all those in Tiverton and Minehead.

Whether it is on farming, where I will be working as the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on farming to reflect the needs of my farmers and fighting to change the government’s mind on the damaging inheritance tax reforms, or improving our local NHS, with more GPs and dental appointments.

On education, I will be continuing to press the case for Tiverton High School. It clearly needs a rebuild, and I was pleased to hear confirmation from the Secretary of State in December that the project remains live. And on transport, I will be continuing to hold First Bus to account on improvements to the Number 28 and 25 Bus service, and I will be presenting a business case for linking the West Somerset Railway back to the mainline at Taunton.

Becoming your MP has been the fulfilment of my life’s ambition. It is a tremendous privilege, one which humbles me each and every day. We will make lives better for all of us by pulling together, casting petty animosities aside and working for the benefit of the Tiverton and Minehead Community. As some French bloke (Alexandre Dumas) once famously said, “All for one and one for all!”. En Marche!