Herald Express: My priorities for 2026

The end of the year feels like a good time to reflect on my first full year as your MP, and my priorities for next year. 

It’s been a very busy 12 months! Along with my team, I have assisted over 11,000 constituents and spoken on your behalf on a wide range of issues from the Budget to the climate crisis, digital ID and problems with the DWP.  

We ended the year with Labour’s second budget, and I have to admit I was pretty disappointed with it overall.  

The only bright light in it was the government finally deciding to end the two-child benefit cap, which will certainly help some of our poorest families.  

Whatever you think about benefits, and family size, no child should be going hungry in one of the richest countries of the world.  

There are so many drivers of poverty; the cost of rent, low wages, seasonal work, rising fuel and food bills, disability, etc. And most of the children affected by this policy live in families where at least one adult is working – which just highlights how many people are not earning enough to cover the rising cost of living.  

While we try and get to trips with all those thorny issues, the children most affected must be given the support they need to have a chance of thriving and breaking the poverty cycle. Which is one thing I hope to help do across the constituency next year.  

Elsewhere in the budget we saw little help for hospitality and tourism – a tinkering around the edges of business rates but not enough to really support the High Street. It’s absolutely crucial as an employment sector in South Devon, and I know many local outlets are worried about how they’re going to keep on meeting rising costs. So along with my Liberal Democrat colleagues I will keep banging the drum for more support for our High Streets. 

The other area that wasn’t helped was farming. When the Chancellor announced her family farm tax in last year’s Budget, the sector was shocked, but hoped that the government would see sense once the evidence of its devastating impact came out.  

The evidence is undeniable. According to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), 75% of commercial farmers will fall under the new rules, far higher than the government’s initial estimates. And despite the changes not coming into force until April next year, nearly half of family farms have paused or cancelled planned investments.  

My own research paints a similar picture in our area. 

So it was galling to see the government press ahead with this policy – I’m not sure they understand why, or the impact it will have.  

But we do have one more debate on this, scheduled for January 12^th, and we will try again to get them to see sense.   

One more issue I will continue working on next year is dentistry. We’ve had a piecemeal approach to sorting out the mess, including recent changes to emergency appointments, but these came with no additional funding.  

The government needs to do far more to fix NHS dentistry. The Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called on them to adopt an Emergency Dental Rescue Plan and will continue to do so next year.  

This is just a snapshot of my priorities for next year. While I am proud of what we have achieved so far, I know there is still a lot more to do and I am looking forward to getting stuck in again after the festive break.  

I wish you all a Happy Christmas, and a peaceful and rewarding 2026.