Whenever a new Prime Minister takes office, attention naturally turns to what comes next.
There’ll be plenty of discussion over the coming days about policy and direction, but what matters most is what it means for people here in Peterborough and Huntingdonshire.
Andy Burnham has made it clear that our Labour Government’s focus will be on the issues that affect people’s everyday lives. Be it building more council homes and improving public services or reforming utilities, supporting economic growth or giving more power to local communities, the priority is making Government work better for the people it serves.
Those are priorities I share, and my job is to make sure they are delivered here too.
That means making the investment case for good local jobs. It means ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with new housing, so communities have the roads, schools and healthcare they need. It means backing thriving town centres, supporting our villages and making sure residents can rely on the public services used every day.
I believe politics can be a force for good when it’s focused on the things that matter most to people’s lives. That’s what our Labour Government has been working to do over the past two years, and this new chapter is an opportunity to build on that progress.
Our region has enormous strengths. We have innovative businesses creating high-quality jobs, growing communities attracting new families, and fantastic organisations that make a real difference every day. We also have challenges that are unique to our area, whether that’s making sure rural communities aren’t overlooked, improving local transport or ensuring rapid growth is matched by the infrastructure people rightly expect.
As a Labour MP, my role is to make sure our area’s voice is heard as those national priorities are put into practice. Over the past two years, I’ve worked to secure improvements to our bus services, backed investment in local healthcare, supported businesses creating jobs in our area and helped thousands of constituents through individual casework. I’ll continue making that case to our new Prime Minister.
National policies only matter if they make a difference in people’s everyday lives. It should be easier to get a GP appointment, keep on top of monthly bills and more affordable to buy your first home. Businesses should have the support they need to grow, innovate and create good local jobs. That’s how our success will be measured: by the difference people see in their own communities.
That’s exactly what I’ll keep working towards: making sure the Labour Government’s priorities translate into real improvements here in North West Cambridgeshire.