Local elections are taking place on 7 May, and every vote counts. To make sure you can have your say, you need to be registered by 11:59pm 20 April. It only takes a few minutes at www.gov.uk/register-to-... #elections #vote #mp #localelections #may

Happy Easter to everyone in North East Hampshire and beyond, as well as to your loved ones. I'm looking forward to recharging over the long weekend, so that I can continue to deliver for local people. I hope you are all similarly able to enjoy the holiday, in whichever way that suits you.

🛢️ Petrol prices affect everyone. I've heard from small businesses, commuters, and families, who are all feeling the pressure. ⛽ That's why the Lib Dems would cut fuel duty by 10%, bringing down prices at the pump by 12p per litre. With no end in sight for Trump's Iran War, something must be done.

Wishing a warm and pleasant Passover to all those observing. Chag Pesach Sameach!

(1/2) I'm pleased to report that the faulty VodafoneThree mobile mast in Elvetham Heath has now been repaired. Thank you to Elvetham Heath Parish Council, and in particular Cllr Nick White, for flagging this issue to me, and for their wider aid with my efforts to hold network operators to account.

In case you missed it - I joined BBC Politics South last Sunday to raise a number of issues affecting our area.

Wishing all participants the very best of luck ahead of tomorrow's Fleet Half Marathon. It's a fantastic event and a great showcase for our area. Enjoy the day and good luck 🏅

Energy bills are still too high, and rising, and the homes we're building today will shape what residents pay for decades to come. That's why, when @maxwilkinsoncheltenham brought his Sunshine Bill to the House of Commons last year, I spoke in the debate to make the case for sustainable planning.

Businesses don't just drive our economy, they are our economy. That's why last week's Liberal Democrat Business Summit mattered. #business #growth #mp #northeasthampshire #daythelife #entrepreneur

The Government has imposed local government reorganisation on Hampshire. Of the options on the table, the 'North Hampshire' unitary council combining Basingstoke & Deane, Hart and Rushmoor is the best outcome for North East Hampshire. #localgovernment #northeasthampshire #mp

I took our campaign for a new Basingstoke Hospital to the Chancellor's door, hand-delivering a letter calling for the funding to rebuild. The redevelopment has been delayed for too long, the maintenance costs are astronomical. Sign my petition here: www.alexbrewer.uk/campaigns/re...

I am absolutely THRILLED that we have succeeded in having the road leading to Hatch Park repaired. It has taken huge amounts of time and energy from the residents campaigning, and from my team and me speaking to the councils. We have finally done it. Now we must get the road formally adopted.

With news of gas price hikes this morning, households are bracing for yet more energy price rises and the Government has its eyes closed. This warrants an emergency COBRA meeting. A £500 hit to household bills is coming, and people deserve a plan, not silence. #gas #energy #local #hampshire

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of joining the Fleet Lions and the Hart Voluntary Action at their Get Involved Volunteer Recruitment Fair! The event gave people the chance to find out how their time and skills could make a real difference to organisations right here in our community!

Out now! Have a look at my latest piece in the Basingstoke Gazette where I comment on the business crisis and how the Government must do more to support small and medium sized businesses! #business #smallbusiness #northeasthampshire #hampshire #basingstokegazette #news

Rural households in North East Hampshire are being hit hard by rising heating oil prices already paying more than urban areas and with far less protection, as heating oil customers aren't covered by Ofgem's energy price cap. On Wednesday I met with the Minister for Energy to raise these concerns.

Today in Parliament was the International Women’s Day debate. To be surrounded by so many brilliant women, in a room so rich with history, was a powerful reminder of how far we have come. It wasn’t long ago that women couldn’t stand for Parliament or even vote. But we still have a long way to go.

Let’s talk about planning. The Government has stripped local communities of their power and our local plan is now effectively useless. The same local plan that Governments of all colours have encouraged local areas to prepare to protect their areas from inappropriate development.

Yesterday was a frustrating day in Parliament.   The Government blocked vital Lib Dem amendments to a Bill that could have made a real difference to children and families across the country.

I've voted on a whole range of legislation this week, and I know that what goes on inside those chambers doesn't always feel relevant to everyday life. That's why I'm sharing a short series about the Bills I've voted on, explain my vote, and share why I believe it matters. Watch this space! 👀

Want to be the first to hear about key campaigns, good‑news casework wins, and the latest on local constituency work? Make sure you’re signed up to my newsletter! It’s the easiest way to stay in the loop and get regular updates straight to your inbox. 👇 Sign up here: alexbrewer.uk/newsletter

Happy International Women’s Day! It’s an honour to serve as the first female MP for North East Hampshire in our most diverse Parliament yet. There's still much to do to advance equality and inclusion, but today, please join me in celebrating the women around you 🙌

(1) The Great Plastic Count is a fantastic initiative that I've participated in previously. By recording the plastic you throw away for one week, you can provide researchers and campaigners with the data they need to push for better solutions and reduce waste across the UK.

👋 Hi North East Hampshire! Here are my top highlights from another busy week as your MP: 🏥 Spoke about the continued delays to the Basingstoke Hospital rebuild and called on the Government to bring the project forward.

(1) Our area has seen some attacks by (often young) people thinking it is somehow amusing to use powerful catapults to kill or injure local wildlife, and fire stones through people's windows. Currently, anyone can buy these weapons – and there are no age restrictions. This needs to stop.

👋 Hi North East Hampshire! This week, as your MP, I progressed local issues, worked to improve things for businesses, voted to improve children's wellbeing and delivered for residents, both metaphorically and literally.

(1) On Monday, I hosted a number of local business leaders at a North East Hampshire Business Breakfast, to discuss the key issues facing small and medium enterprises nearby. All in attendance shared several similar struggles, such as business rates and employer national insurance contributions.

I'm proud to support my Lib Dem colleague Pippa Heylings's effort to have chalk stream rivers recognised as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. There are around 200 chalk stream rivers in the world, 85% of which are in the UK, and 3 of which are in North East Hampshire.

Today my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I voted to protect our children from harmful social media platforms. We are calling for film-style age-rating to ban harmful social media for under 16s.

(1/4) As someone with professional experience working in the SEND sector, I've seen first‑hand how our broken system is failing those it's meant to serve. And now my inbox is full of correspondence from local people who are exasperated and angry at the broken system they face.

Four years on, the Ukrainian people continue to stand strong against Russia's war of aggression. In this time, I'm proud the UK has been a capable and reliable ally to Ukraine. But, with the conflict showing no signs of stopping, it's vital that we continue our support while we push for peace.

🎉Positive update on the Grange Estate Clubhouse 👇 Haulfryn has confirmed its commitment to providing a replacement clubhouse facility on the Grange Estate.

On the weekend, I had the honour of pulling a half of the delicious #OdihamDrizzle in the newly rennovated Bell pub. Huge congrats to the facebook.com/SavingTheBell team who have worked tirelessly towards this. Do pop in if you have the chance 🍻

A round-up of a busy couple weeks spent working hard for local residents: 🏥 Met with leadership teams at Basingstoke Hospital and Frimley ICB to hear the latest on local NHS provision. 🖋️ Pushed for a replacement clubhouse for the Grange Estate with the owners, site managers and on ITV.

(1) I always try to enter meetings in good faith, and so, I don't appreciate being misled by people hoping to keep me quiet. Only days after the Trustees of the Grange Estate assured me they would work to find a compromise, do they confirm that bulldozers will be entering the estate within weeks.

(1/2) It's World Cancer Day, today, and the Government has announced its National Cancer Plan. I'm very pleased to finally see some real ambition when it comes to beating cancer, particularly the commitment to hit the 62-day target for treatment following a referral.

Here's an update on what I've been doing this week to help with some of the issues affecting local people: 🏘️ Visited the Grange Estate Clubhouse, in Church Crookham, and supported residents to delay the clubhouse demolition. 🚜 Hosted a farming roundtable meeting to discuss issues affecting farmers.

🎉 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐖𝐈𝐍! 🎉 I'm thrilled to share that demolition of the Grange Estate Clubhouse, which was due to take place on Monday, is now on hold. After speaking with the site's Trustees, they have agreed to work with me, residents and the management company on a solution that works for everyone.

(1) A very disappointing response from the Government today on the topic of WASPI Women. Ministers have admitted that millions of women, including thousands in NE Hampshire, were wronged. And yet, they're refusing to issue compensation to those affected, because it "would not be practical".

🛜 In this day and age, nobody should be without broadband. We rely on it to stay in touch with our families, run our businesses and access healthcare - you name it. 📡 This means that reliable access to the internet is essential, and yet our local broadband is far from reliable.

(1) First, Grange Estate residents lost their allotment, then they lost their green, and now they're losing their community centre. This is the last space for residents to gather, socialise, and take part in the local community, which is so strong here.

(1) It’s clear we need to increase the strength of our military, but funding this is a challenge. This is why I support the Liberal Democrats proposed new 'defence bonds'. These 2-3 year bonds would help us ramp-up our military capacity, paying out the same interest as regular government bonds.

NEW: Suella Braverman has defected to Reform UK, shocking the many people who were sure that she had already.

The highlights from a very busy last 2 weeks as your MP:

(1) Appeasement doesn't work with bullies like Trump; it just encourages them to push for more and more. America is not behaving like an ally – we need reliable, respectable partners, not a childish narcissist who throws his toys out of the pram whenever he's told no.

(1) 😤 Unbelievable. As if the previous delay wasn't enough, Basingstoke Hospital is now unlikely to be completed until at least 2045 – 15 years later than its original 2030 target. 🚧 The buildings just can’t sustain that; it'll cost £52.9 million just to clear the current maintenance backlog.

(1) 📱 Every day there are more shocking reports about the dangers of social media to children. I often hear from local people, in my Select Committee inquiries, and, as a parent myself. So, I deeply understand these concerns. 📝 The Lib Dems have developed a new plan to keep our children safe.

Farnborough Airport has applied to increase the number of their weekend and non-weekday flights per year by 4,600 a year and amend the weight of permitted aircraft from 50,000 – 80,000kg to 55,000-80,000kg, among other changes. I do not support Farnborough Airport expansion.

↩️ The Government have announced a U-turn on their mandatory Digital ID scheme. ⚠️ A mandatory digital ID system would threaten our right to privacy and would deepen digital exclusion. The plan to force this on the public was doomed to fail from the start, and I'm glad to see it go.

🏥 Corridor care is degrading and dangerous for hosptial patients, and exhausting and stressful for hospital staff. 🚨 It is a national emergency and it is devastating our NHS - we need a real plan to fix it. 🔶 The Lib Dems are the only party offering the bold solutions to end the A&E crisis.