Welcome from Laura

The reopening of local shops, pubs, gyms and hairdressers was not just the beginning of our return to normality but the first clear evidence of the success of our national vaccine programme. With over 17.6 million (or 1 in 3 adults) now fully vaccinated and a further 17.7 million having received their first vaccination (which means over two-thirds of adults have had a vaccine), and 60% of eligible residents in this constituency vaccinated as of the end of April, we are already seeing its impact. Infection rates have fallen sharply in every part of the country – even as society has gradually reopened – and we remain on track for the removal of all restrictions on the 21 June.

In April launched ‘My Plan’ for the Newbury constituency which you can read on my website here. Setting out the areas I plan to concentrate on over the next year as your MP and will be pushing hard to achieve in Westminster and by working with West Berkshire Councillors. In the coming months, I will also be launching a large constituency-wide survey online and through your letterboxes which will help inform how my work in Parliament and West Berkshire’s economic recovery takes shape. When the time comes, I would love to hear your views.

Finally, in April we also mourned the sad passing of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. As the world’s longest serving cohort and former World War II Royal Naval Officer, he embodied an unswerving dedication and commitment to the Queen and to this nation. May he rest in peace.
 

Westminster Updates 

• The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act - which will increase the maximum sentences for animal cruelty offences form 6 months to 5 years.
• The Overseas Operations Act – which significantly enhances protections for veterans who have served their country from facing vexatious claims.
• The Agriculture Act – which introduces the world’s first system of paying farmers for the environmental benefit their activities promote, such as tree planting and improving water quality.
• The Domestic Abuse Act – a landmark piece of legislation to protect women in relationships creating new statutory offences of domestic abuse (including economic control and coercive control) and a suite of new measures regarding sexual violence. It was a privilege to shape this Bill from the backbenches with amendments that were accepted by the Government in the summer of last year.

• The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office about further action it could take to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe (watch here).
• A question to Business Minsters about the grave miscarriages of justice concerning the wrongful convictions of the sub-postmasters (watch here).
• A question to Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for COP-26, about engaging young people in our world-leading efforts to fight climate change in this year’s climate summit (watch here).