I travelled on the earlier train to London this week due to the situation in Russia. Once I arrived in Westminster, I went straight to a briefing with the MOD then on to the weekly ministers meeting to prepare for the MOD oral questions. I then headed back to the office for a constituency surgery regarding dentist appointment shortages, after lunch, on to MOD OPQ’s which gave members an opportunity to ask questions to the ministers and the secretary of state to discuss defence matters. On this occasion we spoke about armed forces accommodation, the war in Ukraine and support for veterans. My final meeting of the day was our constituency office team meeting to catch up on case work. I was delighted to see several of our long-term cases have been resolved with a positive solution for our constituents.
Tuesday began and ended with the Energy Security Bill. I escaped the office for a couple of hours in the afternoon to meet with representatives from Catapult and give them a tour of the Houses of Parliament ahead of the Renewable UK Special Reception that evening. It was great to have a chat to discuss the new developments in Blyth and hear about their business growth and have an update on the new DARE facility. I was delighted to hear that they had received a formal invitation to Number 10 the following day. After a few more hours working on the Energy Security bill, I enjoyed a long walk along the river before calling it a night.
The next day I had a PPS meeting, then went back to the office to prepare my Scottish question for the chamber. Unfortunately, this question was not selected which can be the case. I will park my query for now and raise it again in the future. In the afternoon I attended PMQs, then completed some very much needed admin before going to the chamber to vote as it was opposition day. It was brought to my attention that Labour had created a graphic about me ‘giving the green light to puppy farming in Blyth Valley’. This is absolutely not the case. Low welfare, high volume puppy sales from unlicensed breeders has been illegal in the UK since 2018. In 2020 we brought in Lucy’s Law banning people from selling puppies, if they did not also breed them. Anyone getting a puppy must now buy from the person who bred their puppy or consider adopting from a rescue centre. This was nothing more than a media stunt by Labour.
On Thursday I asked a question in the house to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade regarding the gigaplant site on the Blyth Estuary. I am still of the firm belief that this is a very promising site for battery production, with no shortage of hard working and skilled workers. I wanted to hear what the government is doing to secure the necessary investment for this site, to bring green jobs to our constituency. You can watch the clip on my Facebook page or on parliament.tv. I then had my last session on the Energy Security bill, this has been a mammoth task as it is the largest bill ever to go through parliament. My colleagues and I have worked extremely hard to get this bill to a third reading, ready to move forward for royal ascent. I then made my way to Kings Cross station and marvelled at the advertisement showcasing the Port of Blyth and their partnership with Lloyds TSB. I cannot express how incredible it is to see Blyth Valley making waves in London.
Back in the constituency, I had an early morning meeting with our office manager to discuss case work developments and my schedule for the following week. I visited Merit in Cramlington and then on to the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation site in Seaton Delaval with a businessman looking to potentially invest in the area and bring new skilled job opportunities. My third visit of the day was to the formal opening of the links development on South Beach, Lord Ridley and I welcomed counsellors, investors and people who had helped with the completion of the project. We had a tour of the new site and dined at Caffe Ginevra before taking a walk along the seafront. It has been a long time in the making but did not disappoint. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in helping to progress the project. I have lived in Blyth all my life and it is fantastic to see such a great development for both local people and tourists to enjoy in the area.
At the weekend my wife and I went to the food festival in Seven Oaks Park in Cramlington and enjoyed a woodfired pizza in the sun. We then went home to get ready for surprise 65th birthday party for a close friend.
Sunday was the Blyth carnival and our family always make the effort to go down and see the parade. It is an excellent showcase of our community groups and the spirit of our town. After a walk around the stalls and a good chat with some familiar faces, we set off home ready for another busy week in Westminster.
As always, if you have any concerns or would lie to contact me, please email [email protected] or call 01670 338435.
