If Trump refuses to end this war and we’re faced with high fuel prices for the months ahead, we need to make sure all forms of transport are covered by an emergency package to keep the country moving.

Prices are spiralling in supermarkets, at the petrol station and on our energy meters. The frustration of leaving a supermarket with just one bag for nearly double the price it would have been a couple of years ago is something I hear about a lot on the doorsteps.

Poor mental health could affect anyone. That's why community groups like Winchester Youth Counselling are so important. We teamed up to raise thousands of pounds for their invaluable work recently. Find more here:

It was wonderful to meet Abigail and see how Helping Hooves support #SEND children with their outdoor nature therapy sessions. The children and young people get involved in running the sessions and choice of activities helping them develop confidence and a strong sense of self-worth!

April is going to be a big hit to small business, farmers and households already struggling with cost of living. When we’re dealing with Trumpflation from tariffs and wars in the Middle East, the last thing we need is business rate hikes, bill increases, and countless other costs being pushed up.

🐣 Easter is fast approaching! 🐣 As a vet, I've treated loads of dogs who have got hold of chocolate around this time of year. It's really damaging for their health and can be fatal. Make sure to enjoy your mini eggs and easter treats - but do keep them away from pets! @stevedarlingmp.bsky.social

Last year I went on a trip to deliver refurbished ambulances to #Ukraine. The Ukrainians are confident they will prevail if they keep getting support from the West. I spoke with Matt in Winchester, who will soon be heading off with his friend Elliot to deliver life-saving evacuation vehicles.

Southern Water dumped sewage into the River Itchen, the River Meon, the River Hamble and the River Test thousands of times last year. But they won't even tell us how much sewage they have dumped. The Conservatives failed us on sewage, and now Labour aren't tackling the sewage scandal seriously.

Mental Health funding for NHS services is being cut. Again. It is time to start treating mental health with the same seriousness that we treat physical health. That is why @libdems.org.uk are calling for the Mental Health Investment Standard. Find my explainer here:

📢 CAMPAIGN WIN: Henry Beaufort School Bus📢 I am delighted that Hampshire County Council has finally listened to the calls from parents, carers and students about this short-sighted decision. This service is retained until July - so we will be continuing to campaign for its survival for next year.

800,000 children under the age of 5 have used social media. That is bonkers. These addictive algorithms pump out violent, harmful and explicit material with seeming impunity. Find more about Liberal Democrat calls here:

As a vet who became an MP, improving our animal welfare standards has been a priority mission of mine. It was fantastic to attend this @fourpawsuk.bsky.social event in Parliament celebrating the Animal Welfare Strategy.

For too long, families have been let down by a maternity system at breaking point. Hospital staff are working incredibly hard, but they are under immense pressure, and it’s mothers and babies who are paying the price. Safety in childbirth should be a right, not a gamble.

This is outrageous in modern Britain. Far too many women are having to fight for years to be listened to when they have endometriosis. No one should have to go through that. We must do all we can to ensure that women receive appropriate support and treatment for endometriosis.

Rising vet bills are forcing owners into heartbreaking choices and goodbyes too soon. This system isn’t working. It has to change. @dannychambers.bsky.social

Thank you to @dannychambers.bsky.social for highlighting the health inequalities caused by smoking and the significant impact the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will have in reducing these inequalities while speaking for the Liberal Democrats in last night’s debate. 🚭

The @libdems.org.uk have been working tirelessly for months with charities to find a robust approach to social media regulation. Our age-rating system, like the ones we use for films and games, would put the onus on social media companies to keep users safe - not on children.

As a space geek, I'm so excited about this! www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc... Artemis II: Inside the Moon mission to fly humans further than ever - BBC News

Sports grounds and green spaces are vital for local communities. Removing Sport England from the planning process risks more playing fields being built on. The government must reconsider this short-sighted decision.

There is absolutely no place for antisemitism in the UK. I am deeply saddened to see this horrific attack in London this morning. We must all stand together in solidarity with our Jewish communities.

The average wait time for a diagnosis of endometriosis in England is 9 years. Women and girls should not have to wait for nearly a decade to receive the appropriate support while their physical and mental health worsen due to chronic pain. I signed this @libdems.org.uk letter to the Minister:

Can you imagine a world without antibiotics? Superbugs developing abroad do not respect borders. Climate change puts healthcare systems under strain, creating the ideal conditions for infection and resistant bacteria. We have to act now to monitor disease to keep superbugs at bay.

What an amazing evening! It was great to see so many people come to the "Shake off the Blues" event to support youth mental health. A big thanks to local social enterprise Kid-A for supporting the event and to Winchester Youth Counselling who raised thousands of pounds!

Thank you to 500+ people in Winchester who signed my petition to save the Henry Beaufort School bus. Last, I took your voices to Parliament. We are calling on the government to work with Hampshire County Council to protect this vital service between Henry Beaufort School and Kings Worthy.

'Meningitis is one of the most feared conditions in medicine. We have safe and effective vaccines against several of the most dangerous forms of meningitis. And yet, as with other infectious diseases, vaccine uptake is slipping in parts of the UK.'

It was a great launch event at @marwellzoo.bsky.social for the Winchester District Tourism Strategy with @winchester.gov.uk. I'm pleased to see the strategy focus on ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism go right back into the community, all while protecting cultural heritage and nature.

We need to focus on international agreement and not respond to the beck and call of President Trump. @BobbyWDean.bsky.social

It was really fun to join this Hampshire Cultural Trust session at The Arc, Winchester to meet Veronica and learners for a fantastic art session for home-educated young people. I could really see how these sessions help foster confidence, collaboration, and skills development.

Heating oil has already doubled in price and could increase further. Ofgem’s price cap does not cover heating oil! - That's a huge problem for rural households. I asked this Government to introduce the same price-cap protections other forms of energy benefit from.

When Bishops Waltham's GP opened its doors, there were 7,000 patients on the books. Now there are 14,000. I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Integrated Care Board to explore how we can secure funding for the new GP surgery for the people of Bishops Waltham and surrounding Meon Valley villages.

Brilliant to welcome Worthy Down Trainees to Parliament today to talk all things defence, employment and animal welfare. Given the turbulent times we are living in, it is enlightening to hear their thoughts on what can and must be done to keep the UK and its allies safe.

The student loans system is broken. This inquiry is your chance to get your voice heard on what needs to change. committees.parliament.uk/committee/15...

The Conservatives and Reform cheered on Trump's war while British families and pensioners were left facing higher petrol, mortgage and energy bills. The Liberal Democrats do not support this war, and we won’t be silent about it either.

Sewage continues to be dumped into our rivers, which spills onto our streets and people's properties too. A failure of regulation for decades has led to this. Southern Water must fix the sewage problem, and the County Council must ensure the road is properly maintained while this work continues.

"...his property company paid nothing in corporation tax on its multimillion-pound profits for most of 2018 to 2021." It's incredibly clear who Reform UK really fight for and it's not the British people.

The Government must fund urgent improvements to our hospital in Winchester, so the incredible staff there can continue delivering the high-quality care our community deserves. Read my latest column in the @hampshirechronicle.bsky.social 👇 www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/2592408...

We need to Trump-proof our politics and stop the US administration peddling their divisive agenda here in Britain. Nigel Farage wants to import Trump-style chaos and division into the UK, backed by a shadowy network of think tanks and campaign groups with close ties to the MAGA movement.

Great to meet with Alex from Winchester Students' Union this week. The cost of living, student loan interest repayments and changes to the job market due to AI are understandably causing a lot of concern. I look forward to working with Alex moving forward to support local students.

If something is so cruel that we ban it in the UK, we cannot allow imports to become a loophole. We should not offshore animal cruelty. We know that we have robust animal welfare laws but too often imports are still being used to evade our high animal welfare standards.

We have to move faster to invest in renewables and energy efficiency — giving people more security, lower bills and less reliance on authoritarian regimes. The alternative is to follow Donald Trump, leaving households and businesses to pay the price. meonvalleytimes.co.uk/heating-oil-...

'Corridor care is not an unfortunate by-product of a busy NHS. It is a national safety issue and should be treated like one.' Read my article here:

We have beautiful countryside we need to protect. I had great fun at the National Trust Hinton Ampner Estate helping to plant trees. With the help of Winchester Rotary, they’re on track to reach their target of creating a woodland of 100,000 trees by 2030!

The Conservatives' Brexit project left us weaker and poorer. If the government is serious about boosting our economy, they should listen to @libdems.org.uk proposals for a bespoke customs union with the largest trading bloc in the world - which is already right on our doorstep.

Juries are a fundamental part of our justice system. Taking a sledgehammer to them will not address the court backlog. Investment in the crumbling buildings or doubling sitting days will ensure that these waiting lists come down so that all victims get their day in court.

📣 Calling businesses in Winchester📣 I've launched a survey so I can hear more about the challenges local business owners are facing. Please complete the survey here: www.winld.org.uk/business-sur...

AI is changing the job market as we know it. I hear far too often from constituents who are desperate to get on the job ladder, yet do not even hear back when they apply. I asked the Secretary of State to address the impact AI is having on graduate employment.

We cannot allow scrolling to become the new smoking and leave children to be exploited by addictive algorithms. I am proud to have voted to ban harmful social media today in Parliament.

Thanks to Trump’s pointless war, backed by Farage & Badenoch, the economy is about to be hit hard & bills are going back up! And Reform UK's plan? To cut all investment in homegrown British renewables. Their plan would leave us even more dependent on foreign fossil fuels & exposed when crises hit.

The Conservatives promised new hospitals and never even had a plan to fund them. Labour has now pushed those plans decades into the future. Meanwhile patients in Winchester are still waiting for basic repairs to the hospital they rely on today. www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/2591665...