WITH Andy Burnham now becoming Prime Minister, Parliament enters a new chapter, and I’ve already been pushing from the get go to ensure our priorities here in North Cornwall are heard loud and clear.

I was encouraged by his positive comments about greater devolution for communities, and I will now be seeking the legal protections Cornwall has long been denied, including safeguards for our unique national minority status and protection against any forced merger with Devon or elsewhere. Cornwall deserves a proper devolution deal on our own terms, and I look forward to making that case to the new Government.

Recently I had the opportunity to continue raising the concerns of many North Cornwall businesses about the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging scheme. After meeting with businesses including Camel Valley, Tarquin's Gin, Buttermilk, Bluntrock Brewery, and lots of others, I heard the same message repeatedly: the costs are becoming increasingly difficult to absorb, while the paperwork is overwhelming for many smaller firms. Combined with the additional trade barriers many businesses have experienced since Brexit, it is making it much harder for some of Cornwall's fantastic producers to export. I raised these concerns directly in Parliament, calling for sensible reforms that continue protecting the environment without placing such a disproportionate burden on small businesses.

I also continued my campaign to ensure Bude does not lose vital funding for accessible showers, changing facilities and toilets at Crooklets and Summerleaze beaches. I recently met with the brilliant team at Ad Surf, the disabled surfing charity, to hear from them why these facilities are so important for disabled residents and visitors to our beaches. The Future Coast Bude funding must remain in the town and be used to improve accessibility, rather than being lost through delay and uncertainty. If you would like to support this campaign, you can sign my petition by searching ‘Ben Maguire MP’ on Facebook and clicking the link there.

Protecting our emergency volunteers has remained another major priority. After successfully helping secure the Government's U-turn on coastguard pay, I have now once again turned my attention to the growing pressures facing Cornwall's volunteer search and rescue teams (who cover the coastal path, Bodmin Moor, and more). I recently spoke to BBC Spotlight about new Care Quality Commission registration requirements that risk adding further costs and bureaucracy to volunteers who already give up huge amounts of their own time to keep people safe. I have already raised these concerns in Parliament after hearing from many constituents, and I will continue putting pressure on Ministers to demand that common sense prevails.

There was also some very welcome news recently as Labour officially abandoned its plans for a mandatory Digital ID scheme. From the outset I strongly argued that the proposals risked undermining civil liberties, worsening digital exclusion in areas like North Cornwall, and would cost taxpayers billions of pounds at a time when public finances remain under enormous pressure. Many older residents here told me they feared being excluded from essential services.