I’VE been continuing to press the government this week on the devastating impact of Bluetongue disease on our farmers. North Cornwall’s farming community has already endured a brutal summer of drought and heatwaves, and the spread of Bluetongue has added yet more pressure. One farmer told me he has lost 40 sheep, with no vaccine available when he needed it most. I raised these concerns directly with the Farming Minister in Parliament, following the NFU’s backing for my call on urgent financial help with fallen stock disposal costs. The Minister has said DEFRA will now look at financial support, and I’ll be holding them to that.

I’m also proud to be supporting Mark and Helen Saltern, constituents from Delabole who have spent years campaigning for ‘Ryan’s Law’ following the tragic death of their son, Ryan, after he was hit by a car in 2019. I met with them and the Roads Minister, Justin Madders MP, to discuss their campaign to widen the definition of ‘death by dangerous driving’. Mark and Helen presented hundreds of messages from other grieving families, highlighting just how important this issue is. I’ve raised their campaign a number of times in Parliament before on their behalf, pushing for these changes within the Department for Transport’s ‘Road Safety Strategy’ with positive reception, and will be monitoring progress closely as this strategy develops.

There has also been some cautiously optimistic news on Cornwall’s future this week, after

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has committed his Government to a proper devolution deal for Cornwall, ‘with or without’ an elected Mayor. This is following months of really hard-fought, cross-party campaigning between all six of Cornwall’s MPs. Securing a Cornwall-only footprint was an important first step, and I’m pleased that our collective efforts have helped ensure Cornwall’s voice is being heard loud and clear in Westminster, and now in the new Number 10 North. But warm words are one thing, and delivery is another, so I’ll be working with colleagues across Cornwall to make sure we secure the best possible deal, including proper recognition of our National Minority Status.

I was also delighted to look back on our joining together of local charities, campaigners, and other colleagues for our first Climate and Nature Event in Bodmin recently. There is a real need for clear and honest public discussion about the climate and nature crisis, and I’m continuing to push for the National Emergency Briefing to receive a prime-time slot on Britain’s public service broadcasters. People deserve to understand the scale of the challenge and what it means for Cornwall, the UK and communities around the world. I’ve written about this summit recently, but was pleased to sit down with Roz and discuss some of the work we’ll now be taking up to Parliament in light of what was discussed.

Finally, I’ve been pressing DEFRA this week on the ongoing hosepipe restrictions affecting my constituents. People who are being asked to conserve water here in North Cornwall rightly expect the rules to be fair and consistently applied.