We’ve secured £364,668.57 for Bishop Auckland college!

As part of a government £1.7 billion programme to upgrade and modernise colleges, this funding will support essential improvements to college buildings. Bishop Auckland College plays an incredibly important role in our community, supporting local people, and this investment will create even better learning environments for students.

I had a great time in Tow Law, where community-spirited volunteers, including a local scouts group, were cleaning up the area around Millennium Green. We had some lovely sunshine warming us up through the Tow Law wind and it was rewarding to see the difference we made together.

I called by the Village Cakery on their opening day in Fore Bondgate, where partners Andy and Brad and their super mams Janet and Dawn were baking and serving a continuous flow of happy customers. Do check this out- they do amazing cakes, brownies, croissants, sandwiches, drinks… all with a great view onto Fore Bondgate, Bishop.

Local resident and campaigner Louise completed her marathon, raising funds for Tourettes Action. I met Louise at the finish line in Crook to talk about her incredible achievements.

I first met Louise at a constituency surgery, where she was advocating for her daughter and other families for better Tourettes awareness and support. I’m proud we’ve been able to support her on this journey and help raise awareness.

As Louise says- there’s more work to be done on this. It’s people like Louise pushing for change, recognition and support that bring this need to light and I know she will achieve great success for her daughter and others families.

On a very cold and windy, but beautifully sunny day, I was blessed to join Sue and Jane from the The Country Trust, Andy from North Pennines National Landscape, and a group of Durham school children with Farmer Gemma at Bowlees Education Farm to see some of the education work they do.

It was wonderful to see children from a disadvantaged area getting outdoors, braving the brisk weather, exploring, getting their hands dirty, learning about nature and having fun. What a fantastic service.

Aware of the importance of Farming in Protected Landscapes funding to this sort of activity, I will make sure to lobby for this to continue.

I’m delighted that the college has been named one of just FOUR across the country to receive the prestigious Advanced Manufacturing Technical Excellence College (TEC) status from this government.

As a TEC in the heart of Durham, this is a fantastic opportunity for students across the North East (including many in our constituency who attend the college) to access high-quality technical training, as the college expands its offer and strengthens its vital role in building a skilled generation.

Through partnership working, I look forward to opportunities that could extend these benefits to colleges across our area.

I was proud to write a letter of support for their application alongside fellow local MPs when the bid was first submitted and I’m delighted to see this success- helping to drive economic growth from within our own community.

Following a £830 million funding injection for flood schemes for 2026/27, our constituency will see over £100,000 investment for resilience, maintenance and defence projects.

The previous government left flood defences in the worst condition on record, putting lives and livelihoods at risk. Now, over 600 schemes across England will receive funding this year, meaning tens of thousands of homes and businesses will benefit from improved protection.

The funding is part of the largest flood resilience programme in England’s history, with £10.5 billion being invested between 2024 and 2036 to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure better, with least 20% of future investment ring-fenced specifically to support the most deprived communities.

I am continuing to host constituency surgeries. Having hosted over 100 of these events so far, we have further availability in May. Get in touch if I can support you in any way and we’ll book you a space to see me.

I met with Dene Valley and Eldon Parish councillors and other interested parties to discuss plans for regeneration of the area (including new garden-village style housing, better transport, local services, and tackling crime and insecurity).

None of these things are directly in theirs or my control, but we can’t sit around waiting for Homes England, Durham County Council, or the North East Combined Authority to deliver change – so we’ve decided to work together on a community plan that we can pitch the council, mayor, and police etc.

I feel this very strongly. These areas have been left behind and let down. I don’t know if I will be able to achieve everything I hope to, but I believe in the power of hard work and people coming together around shared goals, and if we don’t try, nothing will change.

There are some incredible people here, who have lived here all their lives, with big hearts for their community. It is a privilege to work with them. I enjoyed hearing about Eldon in times past, when it had the best sprung dance floor in the county and its own public baths.

Those interested in farming may have heard of the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG), a group of Labour MPs representing rural communities and working with farming organisations to support the rural economy.

After successfully pushing the government to adjust Agricultural Property Relief, we’re now focused on improving farm profitability. We’ve launched a campaign for “Honest Food Labelling,” calling for mandatory labels showing where food is produced and the standards it meets, so consumers can confidently support British farmers.

Clearer labelling could boost farm profits by up to £60 million a year. We’ve also seen progress with the Groceries Code Adjudicator moving into DEFRA, but more must be done to strengthen its powers and deliver a fairer food supply chain.

My team and I have handled over 20,000 emails from residents since being elected, covering policy, campaigns and casework. I’m delighted that we continue to have many successful wins for local people.

While many casework successes remain private, I’m grateful to one family allowing me to share their story 👇

A resident contacted us after applying for a grant to adapt her home for her husband, who had suffered multiple strokes and required full-time care. Delays meant the original builders left the work unfinished, and the remaining funds weren’t enough to complete it. We stepped in and worked with the council to secure an interest-free loan, enabling the work to be finished so he could safely access his home and spend precious time with his family in comfort.  I’m proud to have helped them live more comfortably and with dignity, and I visited their home to see the improvements we helped make possible.

Recently, I joined Mary Kelly Foy MP and local NHS dentists to discuss how to tackle the crisis in NHS dental provision. We also heard from Shiv Pabary, the British Dental Association’s lead negotiator on a new NHS dental contract.

Restoring universal access to NHS dentistry remains one of my biggest frustrations. While I welcome the additional emergency appointments, overall access is still far from adequate.

It was valuable to hear directly from dentists about the challenges of a broken funding model and recruitment issues, as well as their constructive views on the new contract. We all share the goal of a fairer system that improves patient access and supports professionals—but achieving this will require significant investment. I will continue to push this issue in Parliament.

I had a lovely early Sunday visiting Scouts from across the district at their camp on the green of Auckland Palace.

Having worked to support youth organisations in our area secure funding from governments “Better Use Services Equipment” grant scheme, it was really happy to see the results – a brand-spanking new mini-bus to help them get around, new tents and safe fire pits, kits bags, and CCTV at the St Helen Parish Centre to keep it all safe.

The scouts are blessed to have such kind and committed volunteer leaders who give up their time to provide rewarding activities that build character and teach values. And the leaders are fortunate to have a wonderful group of young people who look up to them. I listened to them renew their promises to be good citizens and keep the Scouting law, and saw some awards given for advancement or long service.

Finally, thanks to the Auckland Project for providing this amazing setting, close to nature and local heritage. Well done all round.

After a few weeks of detailed work, I concluded my work on the Bill Committee for the Representation of the People Bill.

Line-by-line scrutiny might not make the headlines, but it’s an important part of our role as legislators. This is where we stress-test legislation to make sure the law, as written, will achieve what is intended. We cross-examine experts in oral evidence sessions, debate amendments, and scrutinise the bill line by line to improve it, before sending it back to parliament for its third reading, where it is debated before going to the Lords.

Our focus has been on improving democracy through measures aimed to increase democratic participation while safeguarding the integrity of elections and protecting our democracy from foreign interference.

There’s still more to come on this bill as it returns to the Commons, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done to strengthen our democracy.

One of my parliamentary responsibilities is to represent the United Kingdom as a delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly for the Council of Europe.

For those wondering “what’s that?”, don’t worry, you’re not alone.

The Council of Europe is a completely different institution to the “European Union” – which the UK left in 2019 – and the UK continues to play an active role here. Founded by figures like Churchill and Bevin in the aftermath of World War II, it is the main pan-European institution for taking collective action to defend human rights and promote democracy. Its three main bodies include the European Court of Human Rights (which included UK judges), the Council of Ministers (made of ministers from all its 46 member states) and the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), who meet for a week four times a year in Strasbourg to pass pan-European resolutions on contemporary issues.

The UK sends 36 delegates to the assembly (including MPs and Peers) with a party composition reflecting the political make-up of parliament. When out here, however, a lot of the back and forth of the House of Commons disappears, and we often work together cross-party on issues in the UK national interest.

Examples of issues requiring pan-European cooperation and collaboration include:

– safeguard democracies from foreign interference

– ensuring accountability for Russia’s crime of aggression in Ukraine

– ending violence against women and girls

– regulating the internet, including with regards to algorithms or violent pornography

– regulating international sports and ending ‘sportswashing’ to cover human rights abuses.

– managing international migration

– ensuring accountability for war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank

– supporting those in Georgia and Belarus resisting their countries slide in autocracy.

– promoting the rights of minorities.

Watch the above video to see me challenging the French Foreign Minister on the need to ensure the European Union supports and does not duplicate or undermine the work of the council. The two videos below were other debates I took part in.