It has been a huge honour to serve as your Member of Parliament since 2015, but I know that the past few years have been tough - we had a pandemic, forcing up NHS waiting lists, and then war in Europe which led to a surge in the cost of living.
The good news: after a lot of effort, we have got inflation back to normal, and I want to use that as a launchpad to reboot our economy and public services. My key promises to you are:
- BACKING OUR NHS: to ensure that the huge investment we have secured locally for the NHS, e.g. a brand new West Suffolk hospital, delivers better care for you and your family.
- COST OF LIVING SUPPORT: we had to take difficult decisions to fund energy and pandemic support, but with inflation slashed we have started to reduce specific taxes, e.g. fuel duty and National Insurance, and I want us to keep taking action on the cost of living.
- PENSIONS: to ensure protection from the cost of living extends across the generations, promise not only to support the protection of the Triple Lock, but also our ‘Triple Lock PLUS’, guaranteeing the state pension will always be below the tax-free threshold.
- ECONOMY AND SKILLS: to reduce immigration we need to fill vacancies locally, so I will continue to hold Jobs Fairs, and support national policies e.g. benefit reform, to ensure more people move from welfare to work. I will also support further investment in education and skills, such as I’ve secured for a new school building at Ormiston Sudbury Academy.
- STRONG DEFENCE: at a time when the world has become a more dangerous place, I’m backing our fully funded plan for higher Defence spending, to strengthen national security.