A new year always leaves me with a sense of optimism and opportunity for the year ahead after festive season spent with friends and family. I hope you and yours had a relaxing and peaceful time and I wish you all the very best for 2024.

2023 was a very special year for me as it was my first year as Stretford and Urmston’s Member of Parliament. I’ve had to learn fast but I’m proud to have supported thousands of constituents in need of assistance and to have spoken up for our area in Parliament.  

I’ve learned that the overwhelming majority of MPs of all parties do their very best to help their constituents and serve their communities. It can be incredibly rewarding but I came into politics to change things and to improve the lives of working people. That’s why I’m so excited about 2024 and the prospect of a General Election.

After 14 failed years of Conservative Government our area is crying out for change. Thousands of local people are trapped on NHS waiting lists or can’t find a dentist to see them. Trafford Council remains the worst funded metropolitan authority in the country and faced £300m in budget cuts since 2010. Schools are chronically underfunded and support for children with additional needs has been decimated. Our public services are on life support, crumbling before our eyes.

At the same time working people are subject to the largest tax burden since the Second World War. Despite claims of tax cuts, Rishi Sunak’s raid on household incomes through his freeze on personal allowances means the tax burden will be higher at the end of this Parliament than it was at the start. Meanwhile, almost 2.5 families across the country will see mortgage repayments increase this year as a result of the Tories crashing the economy in 2022.

Millions – myself included – have already been affected by the Tory Mortgage Penalty yet there is little sign our Government understands, let alone cares. The wicked combination of a cost-of-living crisis and ravaged public services has left many families on the brink. As I highlighted in Parliament last month, the past year has seen an 80% increase in foodbank parcels provided to children in my constituency.

Such a shocking statistic should serve as a reminder to us all of the need for change. Again there is little sign the Government understands, or cares. Yet it is what drives me to get out of bed each morning, to fight for my constituents, and to seek a change of government. A Labour Government that puts fixing our public services at the heart of its agenda.

2024 will be tough for some and I will do all I can to support constituents in need. But I am optimistic too: optimistic that with a new Government we can fix the Tory mess and offer hope and change to those who need it most.