ONE of the most significant moments for me this week was leading a Parliamentary debate on police complaints and professional standards, prompted by a series of troubling stories shared by local families. While I have enormous respect for the hard work of frontline officers in Devon and Cornwall, many constituents feel let down by the process when things go wrong.

In the debate, I raised the case of my constituents, Lisa Rufus and her son Kye, who suffered life-changing injuries in a motorcycle accident in 2019. Lisa first alerted me to her case during the election campaign last year, and I’ve worked hard to try and get her and her family the answers they need. Despite the family’s efforts, they’re still very alarmed at some alleged failings of the investigation - especially after Kye’s motorbike was destroyed without their knowledge, and conflicting police accounts emerged. I also spoke during the debate about neurodivergent women and girls, raising their cases after both reported serious sexual assaults but were left waiting months for updates, adding to their trauma.

As a result of bringing these constituent cases to Parliament, I urged the government during my speech to introduce statutory time limits for complaint responses, ensure police standards teams are properly resourced, and rebuild public trust through transparency and accountability. The Minister has agreed to raise these issues with Devon and Cornwall’s new Chief Constable, and I’ll be keeping the pressure on to make sure these constituents' concerns are heard far and wide.

This week I also met with Mike’s Trust in Bodmin, a charity founded in memory of Mike Allen, who tragically lost his life in a knife incident in the town. They do vital work in schools to educate young people, campaign against knife carrying, and have installed over 300 bleed kits across Cornwall. It’s a very important and worthy cause, as I’m sure many of you will agree, so I’m looking forward to seeing how I can best support the charity using my position in Parliament.

Another recent major focus has been rail accessibility. Bodmin Parkway, the closest station for many in North Cornwall, is still inaccessible for disabled passengers. After working to secure the station’s inclusion in the Government’s accessibility upgrade list, I’m now pushing for urgent delivery (much sooner than current proposals), which will leave many of my disabled constituents in the lurch. Cornwall Council has now stepped up to fund a feasibility study, meanwhile I’ve continued to call for works to begin without further delay.

On the national stage, I also spoke out in Parliament to demand the UK uphold international law after the Prime Minister welcomed the Israeli President to London… a man who has said “the entire Palestinian nation” is responsible for the October 7 attacks. I want to make it clear that I find that language absolutely appalling. With the horrific ongoing genocide in Gaza, it’s clear that diplomacy alone just isn’t working. I urgently called for a coalition of law-abiding nations, to hold Israel to account and end the suffering.