On Monday morning I arrived in Westminster early to catch up after parliamentary recess. I had a lot of post and briefings to go through in the London office before the official business of the day began. My first meeting of the day was the Ministers meeting for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. This is a chance for the parliamentary private secretaries of the department to feed back to Minister Gove on updates and any new concerns. I was able to share the fantastic news that our Conservative run Northumberland County Council have agreed an investment worth up to £10 BILLION at the former BritishVolt site after months of toil and hard work behind the scenes. This deal with Blackstone / QTS is set to put Northumberland at the heart of the Artificial Intelligence revolution with a colossal AI campus. This is one of the biggest ever private investments into the UK. It will create up to 1600 direct jobs during operation with thousands more in supply chain and construction. I have worked closely with the Council and Government to ensure the best possible outcome for the Blyth Estuary, South East Northumberland and the wider region. The initial construction jobs and then the longer-term jobs on the site will continue the transformation of our area and I will be doing everything I can to make sure that as many of these jobs as possible go to local people. The spin offs for education and skills development will be outstanding.
From here I held our weekly team meeting with both parliamentary staff based in Westminster and in the constituency. We discussed ongoing casework, workloads and the diary for the upcoming couple of weeks. I was also sad to see our parliamentary intern leaving us for pastures new, Yasmine was a fantastic member of the team, and I am delighted she has now found a full-time position in parliament due to the experience she received in my office.
I then headed to the chamber as I had six votes. Once voting was completed, I attended an event with Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, he shared that our UK defence spending is at its highest level in history. He stated that we must rise to the challenges of an increasingly dangerous world and ensure we're able to protect our nation's interests. I posted on my Facebook page some of the staggering defence stats which showcase our military strength as a country. I left parliament around 9.45pm.
The following day I had a constituency surgery with a local charitable organisation regarding funding. Then I went along to Westminster Hall to meet a couple who I had organised a tour for, I was delighted to hear they enjoyed their tour and even had the chance to sit down and have a cup of tea and a chat. I didn’t have much time before I was required in a Westminster Hall debate on Citizen’s assemblies and local democracy supporting Minister Hoare. This was an interesting debate and highlighted the importance of using your vote. Often, especially when the topic/bill is emotive, I receive more comments on Facebook than I receive emails for action or requests for constituent surgeries. I cannot stress the importance of turning up to vote instead of sharing content online. The local elections on 2nd May are your chance to vote for your North East Mayor, your Police and Crime Commissioner and your local councillor.
I then had a meeting with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board for an update on dentistry and GP appointment stats in the area.
From here I went to my weekly meeting with my fellow Parliamentary Private Secretaries for an update and to discuss the arrangements for future Tea Room surgeries whereby other MPs can arrange a time slot and discuss specific matters from their constituency. After this we had several votes including the free vote on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, I took the decision to vote with the government to make it an offence to sell tobacco products to those born on or after 1st January 2009. After having a long career in the NHS, I have seen first-hand the devastating consequences of smoking. This bill also sets out to reduce the appeal and availability of vaping products, introducing a ban on the free distribution of vaping products to under 18s. It was a late one leaving the chamber, so I headed back to the flat to get some rest ahead of another busy day.
Wednesday morning, I went to CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Head Quarters) to hear from the Party Chairman & Isaac Levido on the latest polling data and ensure we are going into the General Election campaign in the best possible position. From here I walked to the Westminster office to write my question in the hopes of being selected for an oral question in PMQ’s that afternoon. I wanted to highlight Northumberland County Council’s announcement of up to £10 billion of investment into the AI campus on which will bring around 1700 jobs to the Blyth Estuary. This shows what can be achieved with a Conservative County Council and a Conservative Government after decades of Labour neglect.
That afternoon I met with the CEO of Transport for the North, following many constituents contacting me via email and on social media to raise concerns about poor/cancelled bus services in Blyth Valley. I want to work with the local authority and Arriva to find a meaningful solution. This daily disruption cannot carry on. Following this event, I attended the Environmental Audit committee and was delighted to hear we will be hosting the Chair and Chief Executive of the Environmental Agency regarding sewage and sea pollution next week.
I then had the pleasure to sponsor an event in the Speakers House in parliament in partnership with Liz Twist MP and Suicide Bereavement UK. This was to launch the Suicide Bereavement UK's, At Your Side suicide bereavement guides for the Armed Forces Community which were commissioned by the NHS to help service men and women, their families and veterans. Sadly, many people who have been impacted by a suicide have a significantly higher risk of dying by suicide themselves. These guides have been developed to break that chain and save lives. This was a very important event for me to sponsor in parliament, after years of working within mental health I have seen the devastation suicide leaves behind. I will be sharing these guides at my next Veterans roundtable in May and with my colleagues at the Royal British Legion Blyth branch. Thank you again to Dr Sharon McDonnell for inviting me to be a part of this launch. I did have to leave early due to vote but then, once the business was complete for the day, I left around 8pm to travel on the Tube to the Science Museum for the 2024 Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan launch. It was an absolute privilege to hear about the innovation being carried out within the green energy sector in the UK.
I met with representatives from Catapult and the Port of Blyth, and we listened to key stakeholders in the industry about our global leadership within advanced turbine technologies, systems and cables manufacturing and smart environmental services. We heard from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Couthino about this collaborative plan for growth to triple UK’s offshore wind supply chain manufacturing, boost the UK economy by £25billion and create tens of thousands of jobs.
On Thursday morning I worked in the office until around 11.30am and started the long drive home to Blyth Valley. I was disgusted to see the red paint defacing the Ministry of Defence buildings. This is disgraceful behaviour and I was glad to hear that arrests had been made. Whilst travelling home, I had a call to say that I would be required in Westminster next week (I was due to have a week working and campaigning in the constituency) as the Rwanda bill is set to go through parliament on Monday.
Friday morning, I had several constituency surgeries, then a meeting with the newly appointed Chief Constable for Northumbria Police, Vanessa Jardine. This was a very productive meeting to discuss local policing and share several issues that local councillors had provided me from their wards. From here I drove to Cramlington to meet with a manager for the Northumberland FA to discuss youth football and what I can do to support our local teams. I listened to the concerns and have since arrange a meeting with the Football Foundation and have scheduled a meeting with Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to see what more we can do to support local, youth football.
Finally, at the weekend I had a fantastic time attending the Fifth Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers St Georges Parade in Ashington followed by a luncheon at Fox Barracks in Cramlington. The parade marked the 350th anniversary of antecedent regiment Northumberland Fusiliers and it was wonderful to see so many people supporting the event.
On Sunday I had a wholesome Sunday lunch at home with my family in preparation for another busy (an unexpected) week in Westminster.
As always, should you wish to contact me or arrange a surgery, please call 01670 338435 or email [email protected]
