Herald Express: Reflecting on my first year as an MP

Henry Vivian is a name that might not ring many bells, but when it comes to our local area, he is quite significant.   

Back in 1923, Henry became the Liberal MP for Totnes. Unfortunately, less than a year later, the Government lost a confidence vote, and in the subsequent election, Henry’s slim majority was wiped away.   

The Conservatives won the seat and held it for over a hundred years. Overturning a century of history and becoming the Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon nearly twelve months ago was the honour of my lifetime, and I’ve spent this past year working hard to repay the faith you placed in me.   

As we approach the anniversary of the election, I’ve been reflecting on my first year as an MP, and all the work my team and I have done to improve the lives of people in south Devon. When I consider the latter, three examples spring to mind.   

When I learnt that NHS Devon was considering moving emergency cardiology care from Torbay to Exter, I was deeply concerned.   

In a cardiac event, time is everything. For every 30-minute delay to treatment, there is a 7.5% increase in mortality. In other words, that’s 15 people out of every 200 who could lose their life because of an extra half-hour delay.   

And we all know how unreliable the journey from South Devon to Exeter is, particularly in high summer.  

So together with my fellow Lib Dem MPs from Torbay and Newton Abbot, I mobilised to urge NHS Devon to see sense and reverse this plan. I met with the Torbay cardiology team and senior health leaders, repeatedly raised the issue in parliament, and presented a petition calling for the Government to intervene if NHS Devon pressed ahead.   

Last month, NHS Devon announced they had paused their plans. This month, they’ve scrapped them completely, citing significant feedback from medics, the public and elected representatives. It’s good to know that sometimes campaigning does pay off!    

The cut to winter fuel allowance is another example. Along with voting against the policy, I joined colleagues in writing to the Department of Work & Pensions condemning the move, and asking the Chancellor what steps she was taking to address pensioner poverty.   

I’m happy that the Chancellor listened to all the campaigners, including the Liberal Democrats, and U-turned on this disastrous policy.    

The final example is a policy the Liberal Democrats have been pushing hard on for years. Between 2022/23 and 2023/24, the number of children living in poverty increased by 100,000 to 4.5 million children. That’s 31% of children in the UK.  

That’s shocking and should shame any Government. We’ve heard a lot about the two-child benefit cap as a policy change that would help, but auto-enrolment for free school meals would also have a sizeable impact on the health and educational attainment of these children.   

In December, I asked the Education Secretary if the Government was considering this, and in January, during her appearance before the Education Select Committee, I asked her again, and three times she declined to say.   

This month, the Government announced that any child in England will now be able to claim free school meals. While I still believe auto-enrolment is required, this news is nevertheless a huge win for low-income families in South Devon and beyond.   

These examples are just a snapshot of my work over the past year. I’ve assisted over 10,000 constituents, visited schools, businesses, charities and more, joined the Education Select Committee and the UK/EU Parliamentary Assembly, and asked many questions about the issues most important to you.   

It’s been a whirlwind and I look forward to the opportunities and challenges of year two!