A very happy New Year to you all! Our white Christmas has arrived a little late, but still in full force ❄️ Better get the thermals out...

2025 is coming to a close, and I was recently reminded of my first trip to London. As a wee boy, trundling from the Highlands in the back of a borrowed Morris Minor... parliamentnews.co.uk/end-of-term-...

It was lovely to meet John Henderson in Wick's Mackays Hotel. Back in the day, his mum was such a help to my mum in raising money for breast scanning in the Far North. Conlan Thomson is a darned good waiter too!

Farmers are the backbone of our economy. They are intrinsic to our security and self-sufficiency. The Government needs to scrap this unfair tax in full. If they refuse, the Lib Dems will submit amendments in the new year to bring it down. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/far-nor...

I’m delighted the UK Government have chosen to support communities in Sutherland. After years of SNP centralisation, it is a welcome change to have investment in the Highlands beyond Inverness. www.northern-times.co.uk/news/communi...

Seasonal workers are invaluable to many sectors, from hospitality to farming. The Government must ensure that businesses relying on seasonal work are properly consulted when new regulations are drawn up in order to balance employee security with the need for flexibility.

I cannot support a mandatory digital ID – it should be an individual’s right to choose. Those who are elderly, on low incomes and living without internet access have a greater risk of becoming digitally excluded. I cannot condone isolating them further. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/jamie-s...

A huge pleasure to visit Lairg Learning Centre today to hear about preparations for their winterfest tomorrow. Anyone passing Lairg - drop in - you will not be disappointed!

Pleased to meet with members of the Lairg Primary School Parent Council today at my Lairg Clinic. Sorry to hear that the children here have lost a number of days of school due to long-running issues with the heating system. I've raised this directly with the Council Executive.

Last week, I took a trip to Scoraig - a remote peninsula on the north-west coast of my constituency. With around 80 residents living off-grid, their strong sense of community made it a truly memorable trip!

It's that time of the year... #stonewrapped2025

Remote communities, like Scoraig, simply need adequate transport and health services. This would require very little of the money given to the Scottish Government from the Budget. Instead, the SNP are spending this money unfairly and excessively in areas of the central belt.

Delighted to visit Tesco in Wick to support their Winter Food Collection. A chance to donate items from your regular shop, or a pre-filled donation bag - which are then distributed across Caithness foodbanks. A great initiative to support the most vulnerable in our communities.

My thoughts on the budget:

The budget made it clear that Highland communities are not being prioritised. We have a UK Government who are reluctant to fully utilise their power to provide targeted funding to Scottish communities, and a Scottish Government that are misusing theirs. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/north-o...

My upcoming surgeries for December ❄️

Today is Carers Rights Day. Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers and are often unaware of the support and benefits they're eligible for. As a carer myself, I understand the importance. Know your rights, use your rights. carersuk.org/news-and-cam...

Today is Carers Rights Day. Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers and are often unaware of the support and benefits they're eligible for. As a carer myself, I understand the importance. Know your rights, use your rights. carersuk.org/news-and-cam...

The cost of living means going out has become an unaffordable luxury. That's why myself and my Lib Dem colleagues are urging the Chancellor to slash VAT by 5% for pubs, restaurants, entertainment and accommodation venues.

Bank branches are becoming rarer than sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. Parliament must update the Financial Services and Markets Act to include an ‘access to banks’ provision. I'm glad the Prime Minister has agreed to ensure I meet with the Treasury to discuss this proposal.

The UK Government is serious about establishing small modular reactors across the UK, including Scotland. This could mean investment and job-creation in the Far North. The only thing standing in the way is the SNP Government in Edinburgh. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/will-sn...

I previously wrote to Loganair to ask them to take over the Eastern Airways service between Wick and Aberdeen. If we are to have economic regeneration and job creation in the Far North, then it is imperative that an airlink from Wick is preserved. bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If you’ve ever signed, shared, or started a petition, our latest episode of Parliament Matters is for you. 10 years of House of Commons petitions by the people who’ve chaired it: @cmckinnellmp.bsky.social, @catsmithmp.bsky.social, @jamie4north.bsky.social 🎧 Listen buff.ly/DtFCEsn

Tain's Collegiate Church where I laid a remembrance wreath. I wrote on it Arthur and Walter Stone, my grandfather's two brothers, and their cousin Richard Stone. All three gave their lives on the Western Front. I'm thinking now of the sacrifice made by so many for our freedom.

I've relentlessly called for an independent review ever since my election, and I've made it clear that I’ll settle for nothing less than the reinstatement of a consultancy-led maternity unit in Caithness. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/exclusi...

I'm always delighted to see my beautiful constituency used as a filming location. From 'The Crown' to 'The Traitors', there's nowhere like it. A little history of Ardross Castle, ahead of tonight's final. @claudiawinkleman.bsky.social if you need any help next season, you know where I am.

I welcome the SNP’s U-turn on this issue. It should have happened a long time ago. However, if they think endorsing our calls now will make Highlanders forget the decades of mismanagement and neglect of the Far North at their hands they're wrong. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/caithne...

If NHS Scotland and NHS England shared their databases, people across the UK could access healthcare much more efficiently - especially when it comes to life saving treatments. More cross-border cooperation would only be a good thing for people living all across the UK.

I’m very disappointed to see so many cancellations to planned NHS Highland vaccination clinics. This is a consequence of the Scottish Government’s failure to consider remote and rural communities when negotiating the GP contract back in 2018. (1/3)🧵 www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/news/vaccine...

My upcoming surgeries in November ⬇️ Come along and speak to me about any concerns you have. No appointment necessary. If you can't make the scheduled dates and would still like to speak with me, please email my office at [email protected]

Myself and @amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social have written to the UK and Scottish Government to demand an alternative carrier for Eastern Airways flights. Regional air route subsidies are devolved and UK-wide aviation is reserved. We need to see both governments working together to fix this issue.

The Wick to Aberdeen flight path is a lifeline for those living in Caithness – the Scottish Government cannot let this collapse. I want to see plans for the immediate compensation of any passengers who will be affected by this news, at the very least. www.thenational.scot/news/2557616...

Myself and @davidgreen4csr.bsky.social have written to the FCA to ask them to broaden their ‘Access to Cash’ policy to include an ‘Access to Banks’ provision, in order to prevent high street branch closures. In-person banking services are essential to our Highland communities.

Wishing a very Happy Diwali to all who celebrate - may good continue to triumph over evil 🪔 On this occasion, I've been treated to some delicious barfi in my office!

Today marks the last day of #BabyLossAwarenessWeek 💙🩷 Thousands of parents experience pregnancy or baby loss every year - it is a heartbreaking and isolating ordeal. It's so important for us all to break the silence so that those suffering know they are supported.

A pleasure showing the @caledoniansleeper.bsky.social team around Parliament with @torcuil.bsky.social The very least we could do in return for how well they look after us week in week out. We simply couldn't do our jobs without them. 🚂

I've joined my friend and colleague @davidgreen4csr.bsky.social in calling on the Government for targeted support for rural driving test centres. The backlog in practical driving tests is disproportionately affecting young people in the Highlands. Their lives should not be put on hold any longer.

On this painful morning, my thoughts are with the families of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz and with the whole Jewish community who have been the target of a vicious attack on their holiest day.

The planned closure of my local bank branch in Tain is personal. I’ve used it since I was a teenager. When I struggled financially in the 90s, the advice I received from this bank was crucial. Online banking can never replace this customer support. www.ross-shirejournal.co.uk/news/ross-mp...

No to Labour's Digital ID.

I welcome the UK Government’s decision to allocate up to £20 million for our local high streets and shared spaces. After years of SNP centralisation, I want to see this investment go beyond Inverness to support areas that have long been neglected. www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/20m-hig...

📢 October surgeries 📢 As always, come along and chat to me about any concerns or issues - no appointment necessary. See you there! 🍂

Always a pleasure to have a clinic in Tongue. Beautiful scenery right next to the village of Altnaharra!

With the news of yet more bank closures across Ross-shire, I am actively looking for ways to protect and restore these services across our Highland high streets. www.northern-times.co.uk/news/mp-secu...

Another Surgery in North Kessock📍 From Inverness-shire all the way up to Caithness, I've truly got the biggest (and most beautiful!) constituency.

Another successful Lib Dem conference.🎉 Our party is committed to decency, tolerance and the rule of law. I've never been prouder of our values in the face of growing hatred and division. To top things off, a truly glorious weekend by the seaside! ☀️

Very pleased to join my colleagues, @willforster.bsky.social and @amcarmichaelmp.bsky.social in calling on the Chancellor to freeze spirits duty in the upcoming Autumn Budget. The value of the Scotch Whisky industry should not be underestimated.

Last week, I wrote to LINK to ask them to reconsider their decision not to open a banking hub in Golspie. I'm pleased that they've agreed to carry out a cash access assessment of the village, on account of the strong argument I've proposed. This is a positive step forwards.