Your local MP’s report this month covers the government’s tax on farmers, the battle against overhead Pylons in East Anglia, and the closure of the police station in Saffron Walden.
PMQs
At Prime Minister’s Questions I asked Sir Keir Starmer whether he now admits he was wrong to strip millions of pensioners of their winter fuel payment? He doesn’t.
Despite the fact that pensioners are poorer and colder because of his decision and energy bills keep climbing—despite his broken £300-cut promise.
He boasts about clean energy, yet the UK, with the second-largest renewables share in Europe, still has the highest bills. Why? Because his “irrational,” “doomed to fail” net zero dogma drives up costs (and yes, that’s Tony Blair’s verdict, not mine).
Across the country, jobs are vanishing under his policies: a ceramics factory in Stoke closed last week, 250 North Sea roles were axed this week, and gas imports are doubling—even as he refuses to unlock our own oil and gas.
The Prime Minister had no answer—and couldn’t even acknowledge the 250 families facing job losses. From winter fuel to net zero, his energy policy is a disaster.
VE Day
It was a pleasure to sit down with members of the Broomfield Royal British Legion ahead of VE Day. Our conversation was a powerful reminder of the responsibility we all share—to honour those who gave their lives, preserve their memory, and support our veterans.
I was also pleased to see towns and villages across the constituency mark the 80th anniversary so meaningfully, bringing communities together in remembrance and celebration of our shared history.
This anniversary may have been one of the last when we could still hear first-hand accounts from our Second World War heroes. Their courage and sacrifice remind us that our freedoms were hard-won, not inevitable. At a time when the world feels increasingly unstable, and when our values are once again under strain, we must remember the British spirit that stood tall against tyranny.
Our challenge today is to honour that legacy—not just with parades and ceremonies, but by defending the values that defined their fight: liberty, the rule of law, national sovereignty, and pride in our shared history.
Supreme Court ruling on legal definition of a woman
Last month, judges at the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law.
Labour had a chance to admit they got it wrong on gender ideology. Instead, Keir Starmer sent his Education Secretary to the Commons claiming Labour had always stood up for women’s rights. No one was fooled.
They say they “accept” the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling, but their MPs spent the debate attacking it. One even called for puberty blockers to be brought back for children. Not a word of criticism for the unions that are openly vowing to ignore the law. Not a word of support for women who were hounded for stating simple biological facts.
The refused to apologise to Rosie Duffield. They refused to recognise the bravery of women like JK Rowling and Sharron Davies. And the Prime Minister — a man who once couldn’t say what a woman was — still couldn’t bring himself to say sorry.
I’ve always known what a woman is. I didn’t need a Supreme Court ruling to tell me. And I will never apologise for standing up for single-sex spaces, for safeguarding, and for truth.
National Grid pylons update
I’ve joined six other Conservative MPs from across East Anglia in writing to Ed Miliband to demand a fair and thorough assessment of alternatives to the Norwich to Tilbury pylons project. We all agree on the need to expand our electricity infrastructure, but National Grid’s approach is wrong. It risks permanent environmental and visual damage, would hurt house prices, and disrupt farms, businesses and community spaces, despite the fact that viable underground alternatives are available.
While we welcome the National Energy System Operator’s new commitment to assess future grid projects objectively, the Norwich to Tilbury route is still being pushed through under outdated assumptions. Crucially, a recent NESO study showed that underground HVDC cables, if completed by 2034, would actually be more cost-effective than pylons.
Residents in and around Broomfield, the Leighs, Walthams and Writtle have made their opposition clear—and I share their concerns. We are calling for a serious, independent reassessment of all the options, including underground and offshore solutions, to ensure we get this vital infrastructure right without trampling over local voices.
Securing a future for Dunmow Youth Centre
Following a recent update from Essex County Council I have been assured that work to progress the reopening of the youth centre continues, with the finalising a new Community Asset Transfer policy, which is needed before the site can be transferred to Great Dunmow Town Council. This process has taken longer than expected, but with the financial year now closed, the focus is shifting to getting it done.
I hope to see some positive progress on this from the council in the next few weeks, and I will keep residents updated as soon as anything comes to light.
333 Bus route update
Many of you got in touch about Arriva’s decision to scrap the 133 bus, which links Braintree, Felsted, Dunmow, Takeley and Stansted Airport. I know how vital this route is—so I’m pleased that thanks to strong community pressure and the work of local councillor Susan Barker, Central Connect will launch a replacement 333 service from 2nd June.
This is an important win. The new service will run hourly on weekdays and every three hours on Saturdays. However I am aware of concerns from residents that it won’t run early enough for some airport workers and that there’s no Sunday service.
I’ve raised these issues directly with Central Connect. They’ve told me that any improvements now depend on Stansted Airport funding extra services. I’ll keep working with Central Connect, the Airport and the Council to establish progress we can make on the service timetable.
Labour’s cruel Family Farm tax
Farmers across North West Essex are rightly outraged by Labour’s new Family Farm Tax. Hundreds have written to me, and I’ve seen the impact firsthand — visiting local farms like Parsonage farm in Henham, and meeting with farmers in Westminster.
This tax will hit family farms that have been passed down for generations. Labour doesn’t understand rural life — and they don’t seem to care. In North West Essex, our farms are the backbone of our economy, our communities, and our landscape.
The Conservative Party will fight this tax relentlessly and reverse it at the first opportunity. We will always stand up for our farmers.
Securing better audiology services in Essex
Together with seven of my Essex colleagues, we wrote to the Mid and South Essex ICB to raise the absence of adult community audiology services in our area. Untreated hearing loss doesn’t just frustrate—it drives isolation, worsens health outcomes and even increases dementia risk. Without an efficient system, patients are forced into hospital clinics with long waits and higher costs, despite NHS guidance promoting accessible, local care.
In their response, the ICB acknowledged the gap and confirmed they currently rely on acute‑site provision at Basildon, Broomfield in our constituency and Southend and a small service in Mid Essex. Crucially, they are now designing a unified ENT (ear, nose & throat) and community audiology pathway to cover all of Mid and South Essex, aiming to have it commissioned by the end of the year. In the meantime, they’ve secured funding to help cut current waiting times through additional clinics.
I welcome these steps, and I’ll continue liaising with the ICB to ensure this new service is up and running swiftly, so Essex patients can get timely, local treatment for hearing loss.
Closure of Saffron Walden police station
I understand that the closure of the Essex Police front desk in Saffron Walden has raised concerns among residents who rely on accessible, in-person policing services.
I will be writing to Essex Police to seek clarity on the rationale behind this closure and to explore alternative solutions.