I’ll be adding every edition to the space below, so make sure to check back every week!”
🚨 My latest newsletter – What have I been up to? 📝
Dear North Cornwall: This week in Parliament I spoke up for our farming community during the Finance Bill debate, raising concerns relayed to me by many constituents about the Government’s changes to Agricultural Property Relief and their impact on Cornwall’s family farms. While Ministers have indeed U-turned on their original plans for the Family Farm Tax, we Liberal Democrats proposed a sensible safeguard to the Bill, to ensure farmers are not caught out by rapidly rising land values in future. Our amendment would have required the Government to assess uprating the APR threshold every year, so that relief keeps pace with land prices. Unfortunately, the Government voted against this proposal, meaning farmers have now been left completely at the mercy of land prices. I’ll continue pressing in the House to make sure our farmers are properly supported, and will keep you updated on my progress.
I’ve also been raising serious concerns this week about the rising cost of heating oil in the wake of Trump’s illegal war on Iran, which affects a huge number of households across our communities. Almost 27,000 homes (about 53% of all households) here in North Cornwall are off the mains gas grid, and therefore rely on heating oil and LPG. This leaves so many families now really exposed to sudden global price shocks. Many constituents have already contacted me and my team, worried about how they will now afford to heat their homes. That is why I’ve urgently called on the Chancellor to scrap VAT on heating oil for an initial three month period, and cap the ridiculous rises we’ve seen, to help households manage these increased costs. The Government MUST now step in and provide urgent support, while also investing in measures to help rural homes become cheaper to heat in the long-term, and prevent this from happening again.
I also raised an issue in Parliament this week which was brought to me by a constituent in Boscastle, during my last ‘Brew with Ben’ event, relating to battery backup systems during storms and power outages. Many constituents here rely on these systems to maintain internet access when electricity fails during storms etc., yet they often last for only a short period and do not always guarantee that people can stay connected. This can leave residents (especially those who are elderly or vulnerable) effectively cut off from the outside world, and unable to access emergency services or vital information. I was proud to raise this in a parliamentary debate, and ensure that Ministers consider the resilience of telecommunications infrastructure in Cornwall and other rural areas as a priority.
I was proud to vote against the Government’s Courts and Tribunals Bill this week, because I seriously believe it risks undermining one of the cornerstones of our legal system: the right to trial by jury. Jury trials play a vital role in delivering fair justice in our country, and any reforms must be approached with great caution. I sincerely believe that reducing the number of jury trials would do little to tackle the Crown Court backlog, and could ultimately undermine public confidence in the entire system instead. Vulnerable victims are particularly concerned about judge-only trials.
Finally, it was a pleasure to visit St Breward Community Primary School this week to see their wonderful ‘Nurture Tribe’ programme in action. It gives children at the school the chance to connect with nature, build confidence, and learn practical outdoor skills that support their wellbeing and development. After the visit I travelled back up to Westminster for a series of votes on amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, continuing work to ensure that young people receive the support and opportunities they deserve.
That’s all for now – but as always, if you have any issues you would like to raise with me or my team, please do get in touch. Until next time, take care!
– Ben Maguire MP 〓〓
MP for North Cornwall | ben.maguire.mp@parliament.uk
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Ben Maguire MP Newsletter 