Wales & West Utilities have worked tirelessly to get homes reconnected after 4,600 properties had their gas supply cut off this weekend. I am pleased that WWU’s engineers have reconnected all affected properties in Malborough. If you live in Malborough and are still struggling with your gas supply, please call WWU on: 0800 912 2999 Engineers are also continuing to work at pace in Salcombe and Kingsbridge. But their efforts have been hampered by an inability to communicate directly with...

This week parliament considered an e-petition debate about introducing a four-day school week. While the Liberal Democrats believe such a proposal is impractical, it is important for the Government to address the key issue it seeks to resolve: teacher retention. Heavy workloads created by unnecessary bureaucracy and increasingly challenging pupil behaviour are driving teachers to leave the profession. Although new teachers keep coming in, we are trying to fill a leaky bucket as more...

This week the Middle East Minister delivered a wide-ranging statement on what has occurred in the region over the Christmas break. Since parliament broke up for recess, large-scale protests have erupted in Iran and a potential resolution to the long-running humanitarian crisis in Yemen has appeared. In my response I focused on Gaza and specifically I questioned the Minister’s use of language. In his statement, he said: “Too much aid is still stuck at Gaza’s border.” That is not entirely...