CORNWALL is a truly unique part of the country, with Westminster announcements like the Spending Review often feeling quite remote. In practice, they do significantly impact how our communities function.

Last week, the Chancellor announced the 2025 Spending Review. It covers day-to-day departmental spending up to 2028/29, and longer-term investment in things like infrastructure up to 2029/30. Overall, government budgets will grow by 2.3 per cent during this period.

This Spending Review is a renewal for South East Cornwall. As someone firmly rooted in our community and its success, I welcome this government’s plan to revitalise our schools, improve access to medical appointments, and make our streets safer through the Spending Review.

When out and about in Looe, Liskeard, Lostwithiel or elsewhere, I often hear from residents that South East Cornwall is left out of the picture when it comes to spending. National declines in investment have deeply affected our communities – from the worsening of an already unfit public transport system to far longer waits for NHS appointments here than in the cities up country.

The rise in departmental budgets shuts the door on years of austerity. Labour is investing in Cornish transport, with £24.4-million set aside. Labour is investing in our schools, with a £2.4-billion national rebuilding scheme and three South East Cornwall schools already launching free breakfast clubs – more to come. I welcome significant investment in farming, but I know there is much more to do to get farming policies right. I stand ready to listen and work with our farming community.

While we’re investing in what matters, we’re also making savings where they count by ending the use of asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, keeping £1-billion in taxpayers’ pockets and selling off wasteful government assets to improve efficiency.

This Spending Review creates the space for real renewal, in security, health and the economy, so you and your family are better off.

The Tories left our economy in tatters. Since coming into office, Labour has been serious about public finances and taken tough but necessary decisions to stabilise our economy. I know some of these decisions weren’t easy, and we constantly review them to minimise the impact to our communities, but they’ve put us in a position to grow.

And we are growing. The UK now has the fastest economic growth in the G7. Real wages have grown more in the last 10 months of the Labour government than in the first 10 years of the previous Conservative government. We have made good progress so far, but we still need to push further and faster to renew our country.

As your MP I’ll keep standing up for South East Cornwall. The Spending Review sets us up well for the next few years, but as your local champion, I want to make sure that our communities receive the best opportunities they possibly can.