On Tuesday last week, after months and months of gentle lobbying, I finally got the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, to visit Camborne, Redruth and Hayle.

In truth, we’d been preparing for her visit for a few weeks but couldn’t say anything for security reasons.

For me personally, her visit to South Crofty tin mine felt like a bit of a triumph. I have been relentlessly trying to raise the profile of our vast mining opportunities since pretty much Day 1 in Westminster. This is probably reflected in that I’ve been given the nickname ‘The Tin Man’ by some members of the Cabinet!

But last Tuesday, listening to the Chancellor being interviewed on BBC and ITV talking so enthusiastically about Cornwall’s huge renewable and critical mineral potential, standing underneath the New Cooks Kitchen headframe, felt like a pretty important moment for our constituency.

So long overlooked and now, finally, in the national spotlight for all the right reasons, we have so much to offer, to be proud of and to look forward to. The structural changes that this Labour government is making to the UK economy could not have been better chosen to match our strengths.

The Clean Energy Mission, despite all the doubters and nay-sayers, will place a premium on Cornish offshore wind, onshore wind, solar and geothermal. I make no apologies for writing many times about our vast tin, lithium and tungsten opportunities as well as our relatively mature critical minerals supply chain. And with the government’s critical minerals strategy coming out in September, I will be disappointed if Cornwall does not feature heavily. I know that we have been here before with many false dawns at South Crofty, but this time it genuinely feels like we’re closing in on the end of a near 30 year wait.

With a Labour government using public funding, through the National Wealth Fund, to unlock private finance, there is a tried and trusted model. I am also convinced that once South Crofty reopens, this will be the tip of the iceberg.

Cornwall’s critical mineral potential will then move from the national stage to the global stage – with investment coming in to create jobs, housing and the infrastructure we so desperately need.

The Cornish Celtic Tiger will then be well and truly unleashed! This is the vision that has driven me into politics, that drives my political agenda. It is hopefully a proud and exciting vision; young Cornish men and women coming out of further or higher education being able to access a decent job in successful local businesses, being able to afford a comfortable, sustainable home and bring up their families with excellent schools and health services.

It may not sound particularly flashy but for thousands of our own, that vision would represent a world away from where we are now.

So let’s get behind the plan, support these businesses and share in the pride of their successes. Because when they win, we win.