People buy a home expecting security and a better standard of living. Freeholders should also be protected from sky-high fees and management companies that have been dubbed 'fleecehold' companies. www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/2560483...

Ministers should listen to young people when developing the curriculum. They will be using it for many decades to come. www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/2561165...

We @libdems.org.uk would put £270 back in your pocket, by: 🍻 Cutting VAT for hospitality, attractions and accommodation 💡Slashing household energy bills We’d fund this through a windfall tax on excess profits made by big banks, rather than higher taxes for struggling families and businesses.

A trip to the pub or fish and chips on a Friday shouldn't be an unaffordable luxury for hard-working people. Our plans to cut VAT on hospitality and energy bills for households would put £270 back into your pockets. ⬇️

Here’s what I’ve been up to over the past week:

80 years on from the end of World War Two, it was moving to see so many turn out for Sunday's Remembrance Service in Sidmouth. Then, as today at 11am, and in the years to come, we will remember them. www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/2560868...

The BBC isn't perfect, but it belongs to Britain not Trump. Political leaders across the UK must unite in defending its independence from the White House.

The @libdems.org.uk have long said UK-made arms should not end up in countries with poor human rights records. Ministers should work across Government to prevent arms falling into the wrong hands.

I’ve written to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage urging them to condemn Donald Trump’s attack on the BBC. The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.

The new Duty of Candour will place obligations on all government employees. Yet some handle classified material, and the public will expect proper Parliamentary oversight.

Liberals have long-called for electoral reform, even as far back as Asquith, a century ago. It is in our national interest. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Government accepted most of the Foreign Affairs Committee recommendations on the Israel-Palestine conflict. The UK must go beyond sending aid; we need to help bring about a lasting peace.

I am relieved that South Western Railway's trains service will return to normal on Saturday 29 November, but this chaos cannot happen every autumn. www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/2559670...

Remembrance is about those who served in our armed forces, but it's also worth remembering the civilians who helped defend our nation and its values. www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/2559180...

Residents in Seaton’s Pebble Beach development were subject to charges from Firstport, even before the new estate was handed over. It turns out that Seaton residents are not alone in being subject to unreasonable demands from property management companies.

Headlight dazzle can be dangerous and can make people nervous about driving in the dark. We need regulation that helps drivers to see the road ahead without endangering other road users.

Here's a snapshot of what I got up to last week:

We just stopped Nigel Farage’s plan to drag Britain out of the ECHR and tear up people’s rights. Farage wanted to scrap Churchill’s legacy and bring us closer to Trump's America.

75 years ago, the House of Commons chamber reopened after its destruction during the Second World War. This week, I joined MPs of all parties to commemorate this anniversary, which serves as a reminder of the need to maintain and renew our democratic values.

I am pleased to have it confirmed that Seaton’s new banking hub will open in Marine Place by the end of the year. As banks abandon towns, MPs and councillors who care for their communities should lobby for continued access to cash - www.cashaccess.co.uk/hubs/seaton-...

I like to think Trump proposed meeting Putin in Budapest with full knowledge of assurances that the US, UK and Russia made in 1994, in the Budapest Memorandum. Then again, I am good at wishful thinking when it comes to the US and the international order.

Last Friday, I joined Alison, Vicky, and Charlotte for a sneak preview of some of the exhibits that we can enjoy at Kennaway House. I was particularly impressed by the contribution of primary school artists to The SW Academy of Fine & Applied Arts Open Exhibition in Sidmouth until 8th November.

It is right that sex offender Hadush Kebatu has now been deported. This debacle has brought to light failings in the prison service under the last Government and this one.

Liberal Democrat MPs just defeated Nigel Farage’s Bill in Parliament to tear up people’s rights and withdraw from the ECHR. Farage wants to do away with the Britain Churchill built and turn it into Trump's America. We won't let him.

With an ally of Nigel Farage pleading guilty to taking bribes for making pro-Russian statements, it’s clear we need an in-depth investigation into Russian money in our politics. Today I asked the Prime Minister whether he would back an investigation.

Last Saturday, I joined a fantastic fundraiser for Hospiscare at The Walronds, in Cullompton. Hospiscare receives a small amount of funding from NHS Devon. 1/3

Decoupling energy prices from the wholesale gas price would benefit consumers, businesses, and our environment.

The Chancellor is blaming Brexit for the mess we're in but not making the changes needed to fix it, can you really call that a strategy?

This week I have:

Congratulations to Sidmouth College students for completing the 20km sponsored walk today. Cardiac Risk in the Young is a great charity to have raised money for - and it is amazing that Sidmouth College pupils have raised thousands of pounds.

The Government's digital ID plans put our rights to security and privacy at grave risk from hackers and any future authoritarian government. www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/2556567...

Compare and contrast: a water company with a two-star performance for its treatment of our environment... 1/2 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Great South West conference of businesses last Friday showed the potential of our region, regardless of any devolution "settlement" from London. Successive governments have failed to recognise the potential of the West Country.

People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to “go home”. This is their home. I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.

There are pockets of deprivation across the south west. Rather than injecting resources into a tiny number of towns that are electorally contested, the Government should invest in solutions that link up our towns and villages.

Staff and customers of Jhoots pharmacies cannot afford to wait any longer for this situation to be resolved. Government cannot continue to wash its hands of the situation.

"The idea that the government's going to spend billions and billions of pounds on digital ID is such a wrong priority." @JoshuaReynoldsSL6.bsky.social

I share the frustrations of people impacted by the reduced timetable. My team has been in touch with South Western Railway about 'soil moisture deficit', and why it is still an issue after weeks of rain. We were told nationalisation would improve train services. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Parliament returned from conference recess this week, here’s some of what I’ve been up to

We cannot afford for Britain to watch on, as Trump indulges Putin with a meeting once again. The West should be working in concert, to implement sanctions on the Russian economy which bite.

Bovine TB has a devastating effect on farming families when it strikes. Liberal Democrat Rural Spokesperson @sarahdykeld.bsky.social understands this well, as a dairy farmer herself, and as someone who has visited farmers near Seaton recently.

It was really good to meet with nurses at @hospiceuk.bsky.social's drop-in yesterday. Hospice staff do fantastic work to support individuals and families. It is past time to end the glaring discrepancies that exist in NHS funding by postcode for hospice services.

PMQs today revolved around the term "threat". The Government's 2023 reply to the Intelligence and Security Committee's China report shines a light on it: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6502c3...

Jhoots has not paid wages to some members of its staff for months. I'm glad to hear ministers are tightening the regulatory framework to ensure no pharmacy can conduct its business in this way in the future, but they also need to take a look at the case of Jhoots right now.

Digital ID presents myriad issues. From the Minister's reply, it seems that Government is proposing to do everything "in-house". Simple questions remain: what is the cost, and where would the money come from? Whatever the cost, it would be a waste - they should ditch this flawed proposal.

Memory cafes are uplifting for older people with dementia and their carers. My visit to Colyton and Colyford's brilliant Memory Cafe last week made plain to me that volunteers are a pillar of support in the absence of social care funding. www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/2553991...

"Everyone who protested, wrote to their MPs, shouted at the TV...we have to work towards that two-state solution." @LaylaMoran.bsky.social

Such a casual disregard for staff and patients is unacceptable for any company, let alone one providing essential health services. Alongside my colleague, Edward Morello, I have written to the Minister of State for Care, asking him to urgently look into Jhoots.

A day of mixed emotions in the Middle East, as the remaining Israeli hostages are finally released. The relief experienced by the families must be tempered as they remember over a thousand Israelis who were murdered two years ago ... 1/2

This week I have: