'Why I'm backing business, buses and Badenoch' - MP column

IT has been just over 100 days since I was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Thirsk and Malton and in that time, I have been busy not only holding the Government to account but delivering on the pledges I made to you all during the election.

Rural bus services and sometimes the lack thereof is an issue that comes up all year round, not just at election time.

This week we have taken strong steps forward in reinstating the Filey Town Bus service by working with Ryedale Community Transport to find a solution. This is the only option on the table to reintroduce the service at this time and I hope that all parties will engage collaboratively to make the proposals work. Whilst the proposed service provision will not extend to Hunmanby, Muston and other villages, I will continue to work to see what more can be done to improve services without undermining the important role of the number 12.

Further local bus service improvements are expected shortly on local routes including the 128 (Scarborough - Pickering - Helmsley) through money from the Bus Service Improvement Programme - launched by the last government.

The scheme has provided nearly £3.5 million pounds to North Yorkshire Council with more improvements planned including routes 13,30,175,155 and 184/5 in the Thirsk and Malton constituency.

It is also important that the new Government keep in place the £2 bus fare cap that has been hugely beneficial for my constituents, enabling people in Pickering and Malton to make journeys to areas as far away as Leeds for as little as two pounds.

This has opened up new opportunities for work, leisure and accessing hospital and GP appointments.

I have also been following up on my pledge to back local small businesses. Dozens of Thirsk and Malton businesses have already completed my business survey (if you haven’t already - please visit my website) which provides important insight as to the biggest issues facing traders across our area. Most of these, understandably, relate to issues with access to cash which I have long campaigned on and regularly written about.

Attracting local staff is also an issue many businesses have raised with me. Like them, I am keen to make sure that local people have the skills and training they need to thrive. Early next year I will be hosting an Apprenticeships Fair to help link the next generation of the workforce with the high quality, high skilled jobs on their doorsteps. I am also keen to do all I can to showcase our excellent local food and drink sector which is why next year I will again be hosting ‘A Taste of North Yorkshire’ and ‘English Whisky Day’ events in Parliament. I am pleased to say that all Members of Parliament or all parties across North Yorkshire have signed up to join me in this showcase. However, I am confident none of them will show up Yorkshire’s food and drink capital, Thirsk and Malton.

Looking further south to events in Westminster, I know many of my constituents will be keen to know why I am backing Kemi Badenoch to be leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party.

Kemi has a star factor that not many politicians have nowadays, she speaks with an honesty and frankness that I know Yorkshire folk resonate with.

I have seen first hand when working with her during my time as a Minister in the Department for Business and Trade, that she can fix problems with clarity and always puts the right team around her to drive change.

She is a brave, bold and decisive leader whose optimism will be a refreshing tonic to Keir Starmer’s doom and gloom. There's an urgent need to move beyond performative or superficial approaches to problem-solving. The focus should be on real problem solvers who can swiftly cut through distractions, identify solutions and implement them effectively.

That said, I was glad to see Robert Jenrick in our region over the weekend committing, like Kemi, to fight for a fairer deal for the North and drive forward the levelling-up agenda which the last Government pursued.

Regardless of who wins the leadership, my party must not go back to the infighting and division of the last few years. We owe it to the country to unite and to hold this disastrous Government to account.

The last 100 days have shown how important having a strong opposition is. Winter Fuel Payments gone for millions of pensioners, business confidence stalling, sovereignty surrendered and investment fumbled. It is no wonder then that when YouGov asked last week ‘What is the best thing Labour has done?’ a whopping 43 percent of people said ‘Nothing’.

A week is a long time in politics, four years is even longer. You can be assured that over the months and years ahead, I will continue to hold this Government to account on your behalf whilst delivering on the pledges I made to the electorate during the General Election.