AS I mentioned last week, with the House of Commons now in recess, I’m spending as much time as possible out and about in different towns, villages, and hamlets across the constituency.

I’ve been attending community events, having doorstep conversations, setting up surgeries and site visits, and I’m using this time to get around every corner of North Cornwall. I’m really excited to get cracking with my official ‘Summer Tour’ in just a couple of weeks, starting Monday, August 19, when I’ll be hosting even more organised pop-up events in places like village halls, cafés and pubs, while also going door to door. For me, it’s vital that smaller villages and hamlets get just as much of a voice as the towns, so if I’m coming to your area, please do pop by and say hello.

This week I’ve also written to the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs on two important farming issues that my constituents have raised with me. First, I offered my full support for the National Farmers Union’s new vision for the uplands, which includes proposals to better support areas like Bodmin Moor, where traditional farming continues to sustain our rural economy, and helps to protect biodiversity, heritage, and community life. I’m urging Ministers to ensure these grassroots-led ideas help shape the next stages of Environmental Land Management.

Secondly, I raised more serious concerns about the government’s plans to change Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR). These changes could bring huge tax burdens for small family farms, often passed down through generations, and may risk encouraging land being sold off to outside investors. I’ve again called for a delay in implementing these rules, after the government’s draft legislation was released, and have urged the government to adopt a much fairer model - potentially including a 'clawback' mechanism, which is backed by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). North Cornwall’s farming families deserve security and respect, not stress and uncertainty. I’ve been fighting in their corner since these proposals were first announced, and will continue to do so until these ill-thought-out are reconsidered.

Also this week, I joined nearly 100 other MPs in signing a cross-party letter to the Prime Minister, calling for the national inquiry into grooming gangs to be properly survivor-led. We’re pushing for continued prosecutions, a trusted independent process for survivors to share their stories, and above all, real action. These survivors are people who have faced unimaginable trauma. Real justice must be at the heart of the inquiry - not just more bureaucracy. The letter has my full support, and I’m looking forward to the PM’s response.

Closer to home, many of you have raised concerns with me about private car parks in Cornwall, and the lack of fairness, clarity and consistency in how they operate. Following that, I’ve written to the Minister and am urging residents to respond to the government’s consultation before it closes in early September. If you’ve been on the receiving end of poor practice, this is your chance to speak up.