I SPOKE in a major debate on the government’s plans to introduce a mandatory Digital ID system, on behalf of the almost 6,000 constituents who signed the petition against the proposals.

Over recent months, I’ve received literally hundreds of emails and messages from you all, urging me to oppose these plans. I was proud to do just that in the Commons this week - because as I pointed out in the debate, the government is prepared to spend around £2-billion rolling out a system that nobody asked for and that could seriously undermine public trust. Meanwhile, at the very same time, they’re pressing ahead with things like the Family Farm Tax to try and raise just a fraction of the cost of Digital ID. This government’s priorities are clearly completely out of touch, and I’ll continue to stand up on behalf of North Cornwall and demand better.

I also recently raised the issue of rogue builders in the House, after hearing from a number of residents who’ve been left seriously out of pocket. While the vast majority of local tradespeople here in Cornwall are of course honest, skilled, and hardworking, there are still too many cases I’ve dealt with of people being exploited by cowboy firms, with little accountability. It’s an issue affecting households right across North Cornwall (and the country), and so I’ll be pushing for stronger protections to give consumers more security and recourse when things go wrong.

I was also especially pleased to spend more time in Launceston over the past week, meeting with students and staff at both Launceston College and Launceston Primary School. It was a pleasure to hold talks and take questions from such thoughtful and engaged pupils. It’s clear that young people across North Cornwall are full of brilliant ideas and deserve to feel heard. I also held another constituency surgery this week, to help local residents with casework and personal concerns they wanted to raise. My team and I will be following up closely with all the issues raised, and as ever I’m grateful to everyone who came along to share their situations.

On a different note, I appeared on BBC Politics Live this week to highlight a number of issues we face in North Cornwall, and pressed the government on its rail nationalisation proposals, asking what benefits, if any, this will bring for rural communities like ours (that still lack a single mainline station). With unreliable services, packed carriages, poor WiFi and sky-high fares, people in North Cornwall want to see real action and investment, rather than more empty slogans and flashy new branding.

I also took part in a doorstep surgery recently in Padstow, alongside Cornwall councillor James O’Keefe. Thanks to everyone we spoke to, and as always, we’ll be following up on all the issues raised ASAP.

Additionally, I met with Access to Cash UK this week to again push for a full Banking Hub in Wadebridge, because with so many banks having closed down in recent years, it’s clear the town needs a proper solution.