TREVELYAN TALKS

What is a long time in politics these days?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 06:45:00 +0000

5 weeks ago today my lovely colleague Jo Cox MP was brutally murdered in her constituency;

4 weeks ago today the citizens of the United Kingdom went to the polls and decided by a majority of 1.4million, through a full referendum process, to leave the European Union. The following day the Prime Minister David Cameron resigned;

3 weeks ago today, five Conservative MPs put their hat into the ring for the contest to select the Party's new leader, and the country's new PM;

2 weeks ago today, with the Cragg, Fox, Gove, Leadsom & May contest in full swing, Conservative MPs whittled the shortlist down to two, sending Leadsom & May out to Party members for final selection - three days later Andrea Leadsom decided to stand aside in the contest, leaving Theresa May the only candidate and therefore the new Prime Minister;

1 week ago today, our old Prime Minister had been to see the Queen to resign, our new Prime Minister had been asked to put together a new Government by Her Majesty, and new Secretaries of State and senior ministers in every department were being appointed. 2 new departments were also created - the Department for Exiting the EU, and the Department for International Trade.

Today, as MPs start recess, and head back to their constituencies for 6 weeks to catch up with all the local activities, the realisation that a week can be a long time in politics has never been more true.

I was elected 14 months ago, to take up the extraordinary privilege of being the voice of North Northumberland in Westminster. None of us could ever have imagined (in fact Lord Dobbs, of House of Cards fame, said to me that if he'd written this story no publisher would have taken it!) that so much would happen in such a short time.

For us in Northumberland, our campaigning efforts for a Universal Service Obligation for broadband will come forwards in the Digital Economy Bill in the Autumn; the new Secretary of State for Transport has agreed to look again at the Mousen Bends section of the A1 Dualling project; I am continuing my work for new homes, working with the new Policy Board which PM May has set up to fund social housebuilding through a Bond method, and my work to make the Armed Forces Covenant a reality throughout the land for serving personnel, their families and veterans of all ages continues apace. My team & I have been able to help over 3,000 constituents with personal matters and will be battling public sector and private sector failures day-by-day to get a better, fairer deal for each and every one.

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If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week In Westminster : The EU Referendum Result.

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 09:24:00 +0000

The EU Referendum last Thursday gave a clear result for the Government to take forwards, with 17.4 million voters calling for the UK to leave the European Union and to become self-governing once more. There have been strong views from both sides over many months, but I am pleased that the Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that the voters' instruction will now be taken forwards.

I will be working tirelessly on behalf of all my constituents going forwards, to ensure that farming continues to be supported as needed, that our North East businesses are in the thick of the new trade deal negotiations, that our poorest communities maintain financial support, and that the infrastructure we need to make us the most successful region we can be continues.

I could take up the criticisms and abuse I have received and battle to explain why I voted to leave, but that time has now passed. This Facebook post from a friend's 18 year old son yesterday captures so many of the issues, so I shall let his voice be heard:

"I voted leave. Hate me for exercising my democratic rights. Hate me for having an option different to yours. Label me as racist or xenophobic. Accuse me of destroying this nation.

But you need to understand this. 17.4 million people have spoken. Just because a lot of them cannot defend themselves over social media you think it right to pretend you know their opinion and patronise them with your elevated saintly wisdom.

You talk of the age differences in the voting patterns as a bad thing. A lot of the people who voted us out voted us in in the first place. Interesting that. You may categorise all old people as racist but I sat for 15 hours at an old people's home yesterday working at the polling station and that is not the case. I was impressed with their engagement with the issue and knowledge of pros and cons. A lot of them had sat listening to LBC and radio 4 etc. for hours upon hours making up their mind. Just because they are not on Facebook and cannot express their opinion does not mean you can make theirs up. They voted for change, because the EU fails them. They voted with hope not hate. Hope that we can have a stronger future.

They are in more of a position to vote than we are, contrary to opinions. They know Britain's problems, they know how much of a failure the European Union has been, and how unlikely it is that this could change. They have built this country since the war and have as much of a right as we do to decide where it goes. Experience is worth a lot more than qualifications. Trust me I've been rejected from too many jobs.

There will be a long, slow, calculated process of renegotiating our place in Europe, so please just chill out and see how this goes before you jump on the doom and gloom bandwagon that lost you this referendum.

But whatever you do, do not hate. We should be seeing the last of people like Farage, who let me remind you will play no part in Britain's exit from Europe. The people have spoken so move on, for the sake of my Facebook timeline at least!"

Let us all move forwards with hope, not hate, for a stronger & brighter future for our great nation.

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Statement from the Prime Minister : 24th June 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 08:40:00 +0000

The country has just taken part in a giant democratic exercise, perhaps the biggest in our history.

Over 33 million people from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, have all had their say.

We should be proud of the fact that in these islands, we trust the people with these big decisions.

We not only have a parliamentary democracy but on questions about the arrangements for how we are governed, there are times when it is right to ask the people themselves, and that is what we have done.

The British people have voted to leave the European Union and there will must be respected.

I want to thank everyone who took part in the campaign on my side of the argument, including all those who put aside party differences to speak in what they believed was the national interest.

And let me congratulate all those who took part in the Leave campaign for the spirited and passionate case that they made.

The will of the British people is an instruction that must be delivered.

It was not a decision that was taken lightly, not least because so many things were said by so many different organisations about the significance of this decision so there can be no doubt about the result.

Across the world, people have been watching the choice that Britain has made.

I would reassure those markets and investors that Britain’s economy is fundamentally strong and I would also reassure Brits living in European countries and European citizens living here that they will be no immediate changes in your circumstances.

There will be no initial change in the way our people can travel, in the way our goods can move or the way our services can be sold.

We must now prepare for a negotiation with the European Union.

This will need to involve a full engagement of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland governments to ensure that the interests of all parts of our UK are protected and advanced.

But above all, this will require strong, determined and committed leadership.

I am very proud and honoured to have been Prime Minister of this country for six years.

I believe we have made great steps, with more people in work than ever before in our history, with reforms to welfare and education, increasing people's life chances, building a bigger and stronger society, keeping our promises to the poorest people in the world and enabling those who love each other to get married whatever their sexuality.

But above all restoring Britain's economic strength.

And I’m grateful to everyone who has helped to make that happen.

I’ve also always believed that we have to confront big decisions, not duck them.

That is why we delivered the first Coalition Government in 70 years, to bring our economy back from the brink.

It’s why we delivered a fair, legal and decisive referendum in Scotland and it’s why I made the pledge to renegotiate Britain's position in the European Union and hold a referendum on our membership and have carried those things out.

I fought this campaign in the only way I know how, which is to say directly and passionately what I think and feel, head, heart and soul.

I held nothing back.

I was absolutely clear about my belief that Britain is stronger, safer and better off inside the European Union.

And I made clear the referendum was about this and this alone.

Not the future of any single politician, including myself.

But the British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path.

And as such I think the country requires a fresh leadership, to take it in this direction.

I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly.

But I do believe it's in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required.

There is no need for a precise timetable today, but in my view we should aim to have a new Prime Minister in place by the start of the Conservative Party conference in October.

Delivering stability will be important and I will continue in post is Prime Minister, with my Cabinet, for the next three months.

The Cabinet will meet on Monday, the governor of the Bank of England is making a statement about the steps that the Bank and Treasury are taking to reassure financial markets.

We will also continue taking forward the important legislation that we set before Parliament in the Queen's speech.

I have spoken to Her Majesty the Queen this morning and advised of the steps I am taking.

Negotiation with the European Union will need to begin under a new Prime Minister and I think it is right that this new Prime Minister takes the decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal and legal process of leaving the EU.

I will attend the European Council next week to explain the decision the British people had taken and my own decision.

The British people have made a choice.

That not only needs to be respected, but those on the losing side of the argument, myself included, should help to make it work.

Britain is a special country.

We have so many great advantages.

A parliamentary democracy where we resolve issues about our future through peaceful debate.

A great trading nation with our science and arts, our engineering and creativity, respected the world over.

And while we are not perfect I do believe we can be a model of a multiracial, multi-faith democracy where people can come and make a contribution and rise to the very highest that their talent allows.

Although leaving Europe was not the path I recommended, I’m the first to praise our incredible strengths.

I said before that Britain can survive outside the European Union and indeed that we could find a way.

Now the decision has been made to leave, we need to find the best way.

And I will do everything I can to help.

I love this country, and I feel honoured to have served it.

And I will do everything I can in future to help this great country succeed.

Thank you very much.

My Week in Westminster: the loss of Jo Cox.

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 12:29:00 +0000

The unutterably tragic events of last Thursday, when my colleague Jo Cox MP was murdered on the street in the village of Birstall in West Yorkshire, have been difficult to get to grips with. Jo was a ball of energy and passionate advocate for all those issues which were close to her heart. She always had a smile, a spring in her step, and an enthusiasm for getting stuck in which was endearing and enthusing in equal measure. She took part in the annual Macmillan House of Commons Tug of War only a couple of weeks ago, and I had the greatest privilege of being on the team with her, laughing about how inept we all were, but happy to get stuck in and help raise money for such an important charity to so many of our constituents.

A bright light has gone out with her untimely death, and leaves two small children who will now not have their Mum with them in their daily lives. As one who lost a parent at a very young age, this is what hurts most: knowing that they will never be able to know her as we have all had the privilege to do.

But, from out of this dreadful tragedy, it has been deeply heart-warming for me to receive so many kind messages from constituents and people that I have worked with on campaigns more widely, thanking me for doing what it is that we do as MPs; something that we consider to be a true privilege and honour. There is nothing more worthwhile than being able to speak out on behalf of an individual, a group, a community or a campaign, where they cannot do so themselves. To change the course of a policy, or to build stronger solutions to a problem, or to fix something which is broken and damaging, are outcomes which are worth fighting for.

We were recalled to Parliament yesterday for a tribute to Jo and a service of remembrance in St Margarets Church, Westminster- the Parliamentarians' church. The whole afternoon was filled with love, Jo's passion to make the world a better place, and an outpouring of affection for the two small children in the West Gallery who have lost their mother, murdered whilst working for her constituents' benefit and improvement.
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If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week In Westminster : less than 2 weeks to go (phew!)

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 14:37:00 +0000

As the EU Referendum draws closer, with less than 2 weeks to go until polling day, I am debating in town halls and TV studios most days. The bottom line for me is that remaining would continue to devalue our democracy, the one thing the UK has exported across the globe most successfully. Its when nations become true democracies that wars stop, and we must lead by example and protect our own, the oldest in the world, from EU technocrats who want to destroy nation hood in favour of a single state of Europe.

My predecessor Mabel Philipson MP, only the 3rd woman ever elected to the House of Commons as MP for Berwick in 1923, would be appalled by the EU's plans. I have written for Harpers Bazaar this week on why women should vote to leave the EU. You can read it at http://bit.ly/1UIwmed

To commemorate 150 years since the start of the battle for Womens' Suffrage, we had an extraodinary moment this week in the Chamber when the Speaker suspended the sitting so that we could do a photo of all the female MPs. Very moving, but mostly a timely reminder that there is so much more to do to encourage more women to stand for public office: I am only the 378th woman EVER to enter the House of Commons!

The most important bit of this week for me was the Public Accounts Committee hearing which we held on Wednesday, following the last 3 months of work I have been doing to try to get improvement to the Service Families' Accomodation problems. After weeks of evidence gathering, I was able to get the National Audit Office sent in by our committee to assess the civilian maintenance contract & various senior people were then summoned to explain themselves. It all crystallised on Wednesday when we grilled Carillion Amey & the MOD to explain their contract failure for military families. You can watch the hearing at http://goo.gl/9GBxpS

Continuing my military education, I had the privilege to go onboard HMS Bulwark, the second of our Albion-class assault ships. A real tardis once inside, we saw the winners of the Peregrine Trophy, the military photography Naval Awards. A wonderful young sea cadet, Tom Gregory, won his section and it was a pleasure to talk to him & his parents about life as a young sea cadet.

I am delighted to be supporting my PAC colleague Caroline Flint MP's Amendment to the forthcoming Finance Bill calling for the UK to lead on demanding financial data transparency from multinationals like Google. We hope that the Treasury will accept it. All the Finance Bill stuff will be coming to the House for approval the week after the Referendum, so it might be lively!

Between EU debates I have had a busy constituency Friday in Berwick with a visit to St Cuthberts RC First School, being grilled by all ages about what its like to be an MP, do I want to be PM, what is my favourite hairstyle and do I get to visit lots of countries? The questions are always different and always keep me on my toes!

I also had the chance to stop into North Northumberland Hospice's new shop in High Greens and found 2 fab new summer dresses for those hot & sticky summer days ahead when the House of Commons becomes very unpleasant due to weather rather than in-fighting! Do stop in for a coffee and a browse through all their lovely things. Great shop, great charity.

This weekend is full of Royal celebrations, with services of thanksgiving and street parties to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. I am surely one of Her Majesty's greatest fans, and am looking forward to all of these, before returning to TV studios for the BBC North East's EU Debate on Sunday night. Lets vote Leave!

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If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week in Westminster: our seas & our protection

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 30 May 2016 10:54:00 +0000

This last week seems to have had a strong sea bias to it. It began at the weekend with an extraordinary trip to the Farne Islands for an evening picnic with the rangers who tend to our unique ecosystem over these islands, keeping a close eye on our puffins & seals, arctic terns and Eider ducks amongst others. We were privileged to get up close to the female Eider with her babies, and the puffins seem to take it as a personal challenge to fly as close to our heads as they can. One of the rangers suggested to me that since the Farne Islands are in my patch, that must make me the puffin's representative at Westminster! I am now contemplating how best to take on that role.

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Continuing with the sea theme, I had the enormous privilege (as a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme) to be invited onto HMS Duncan, our most modern Type 45 Destroyer. She was visiting London before heading up to Scapa Flow to participate in the Battle of Jutland 100th anniversary commemorations on 31st May.

As part of my continuing campaigning to get improvements to the service family accomodation, I was fortunate to be called by Mr Speaker to ask a PMQ to the Chancellor, with some of the crew of HMS Duncan in the gallery to hear their ship mentioned.

You can watch PMQs here:

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/e1c4f686-f121-4b7c-bc8e-009b8a79b60a?in=12:31:12

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We voted through the Queens Speech on Wednesday evening, setting up the legislative programme for the year ahead. I was very pleased that the Government accepted Peter Lilley's amendment which I seconded, to call for legal protection in the TTIP negotiations (the EU-UK trade deal being formed) for our NHS services. This means that we will be able to protect our NHS & the taxpayer from the threat of

legal action if US investment into healthcare in the UK doesn't work out.

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The EU Referendum is getting closer! I spoke in an excellent debate at Barter Books in Alnwick, on the Leave side, which drew a crowd of all views & none. Its great to have the opportunity to discuss all the facets of this vitally important in our political journey within, or without, the European Union.

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I was able to visit the former Alcan site at Lynemouth to meet with new businesses who are creating jobs on the site. The famous smelter towers are soon to come down, so it was a privilege to get close up one last time before the new era of manufacturing different products for the construction industry, amongst others, gets fully underway. Change can be difficult, but its wonderful to see new jobs developing for the longterm in new businesses with great entrepreneurs investing in the future & local jobs.

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If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week in Westminster : a mew session begins

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Fri, 27 May 2016 05:21:00 +0000

The start of a new Parliamentary session provides the opportunity for some of our excellent pomp & ceremony. The Queens speech, delivered by Her Majesty in Her Gracious Speech, included some key bills which will help Northumberland's economic future success. Bills include:

The Digital Economy bill which will give every household a legal right to a fast broadband connection if they request it. I plan to be closely involved in this, to ensure we enshrine the Universal Service Obligation for broadband connectivity, vital for rural dwellers' future;

Reforms to speed up the planning process to help build more homes, and empower communities through their neighbourhood plan;

Introduction of a Lifetime ISA to help young people save for their future;

Speeding up adoptions and giving children in care more support;

Making prisons places of education, work and purposeful activity – something close to my heart as a founding Trustee of the Oswin Project which does this at HMP Northumberland already, to help reduce re-offending, cut crime and improve public safety.

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One thing missing from the Gracious Speech was the mention of a Sovereignty Bill, which we had expected. This concerns me as it was planned, but it seems that following the negotiations by the PM with EU members in February in the run up to our Referendum in June, we have given away our power of veto to greater political

Union for Eurozone countries. Without a Sovereignty Bill I fear this leaves us even further exposed to EU powers. That is why I am supporting colleague Peter Lilley MP's amendment to the Queens Speech which calls on Government to exclude our NHS from the TTIP treaty presently being negotiated between the EU & the USA. Government has indicated it won't oppose our amendment. Fingers crossed that in the heated EU Referendum campaign period everyone sticks to their promise on this.

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To balance out the ceremonials at Westminster, I spent two days with a few colleagues at the UK Defence Academy in Wiltshire, learning about the high level strategic views of our military and forward planning towards 2050. This visit was as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme of which I am a part for a second year (learning about the Navy this coming year having focused on the RAF last year).

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The EU referendum continues apace, and I had the pleasure of speaking at the Churches Together debate at Sunderland Minster.

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A1 update

http://assets.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/A1+in+Northumberland/N160054_A1+in+Northumberland_public+aware+event+panels_V2_web.pdf

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If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week In Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 09 May 2016 18:00:00 +0000

This week has been hectic in terms of legislative activity, as the final stages of the Immigration Bill & the Housing and Planning Bill go through the Houses of Lords and Commons. This involves "ping pong" - no, not the bat & ball sport!- in which amendments suggested by the Lords come back to the Commons and we decide whether or not to accept them. This is the nitty gritty of law-making, where compromises are made to ensure the best law, the broadest support and so on. Last week saw huge concessions by Government on the Trade Unions Bill because the House of Lords was able to force the Government to back down by threatening to derail the bill completely. All bills in the system need to be agreed before we "prorogue" this coming week. That's Parliamentary for bringing the session to an end before a new one starts after the Queens Speech and Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 18th May.
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In between division bells, we welcomed the Royal Artillery to celebrate their 300th anniversary to the House, and their bands Beat the Retreat as the sun set over the Terrace. A deeply moving experience and a time to reflect on the centuries of commitment by our armed forces to our safety & protection around the world.
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Locally, our County council leadership is proving frustrating at present with the decision to bring in a coach parking area inside Berwick's Town Walls in the one place that the residents and businesses don't want it to be. I am continuing to lobby the Labour councillors to work with partners for a better solution than Chapel Street.
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I had a wonderful visit to Scremerston & Harbottle First Schools, and got to participate in volcano making activities!
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Sunday saw the Riding of the Bounds in Berwick, with a great cortege of horses following the ancient tradition. I seem to have agreed to get on a horse and do it myself next year...!
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I had the opportunity to visit the new social & extra care housing being built in Alnwick, due to open for older people later this summer. This is a fantastic model of supported housing being rolled out by ISOS and I am going to continue working with the Housing Federation to encourage more of this sort of homes to be built in the years ahead. As a nation we need to be building at least 250,000 more new homes each year; and if we stay in the EU estimates suggest that the influx of a further 3 million EU members could double that need.
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With the EU Referendum debate hotting up as we have only 45 days til election day, I am continuing to speak in debates around the region on why I think we should vote to Leave. On Friday I was honoured to be invited to speak at that august institution, the Durham Union Society. The result was 50:50!

And finally a huge congratulations to Ruth Davidson MSP and her team, especially our Berwickshire neighbour John Lamont MSP, on their successful election in Scotland. The Conservative & Unionist Party is now the official opposition in the Scottish Parliament.
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If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week in Westminster : back from Easter recess

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 11:38:00 +0000

The MPs return to Westminster after the Easter recess brought with it a wave of Ministerial Statements and Urgent Questions, on the state of steel industry, the Panama Papers & associated discussions about tax evasion, whether MPs' tax returns should be published, whether Inheritance Tax is a good or a bad thing, and the now infamous £9.3m of taxpayers' money spent by Government on a pro-Remain leaflet. It was a noisy & heated Chamber.

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I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with DWP Minister Shailesh Vara MP, to discuss the issue of pension age changes for the WASPI women, born between 1951 & 1954. This campaign for recourse from the latest delays to their pension age may take some time, as the Treasury presently seems determined to hold firm to their line. I have an excellent local network of WASPI lady campaigners, and if you are affected please do get in touch.

I will continue working with colleague Tim Loughton MP and other concerned MPs to try to find a costed solution which might go some way to resolution of this thorny matter.

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In my role as Chairman of our new Parliamentary Group on the Armed Forces Covenant, I have been receiving a large amount of correspondence from across the UK from military families struggling with a new housing regime. I will be meeting with the Armed Forces Minister next week to discuss this in more depth and call for an arbitrator to support these families, for whom our commitment through the Covenant should be better than it presently is.

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Our APPG on Autism had a big turnout to discuss the problems of diagnosis times for children and adults on the spectrum, a problem which I struggled with when my son was little and we were seeking help over 10 years ago. Progress on this is painfully slow but I was pleased to hear from the Minister and his civil servants on the steps forwards they are taking. It was interesting to hear the Minister admit that one of his biggest frustrations in Government was the variability of provision & quality across the country. But not much consolation to those of us who have battled for diagnosis for family members in areas without decent professional support.

The National Autism Society launched its new film this week with an amazing young Aspergers actor: you can watch it here: http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/tmi/film.aspx

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I caught up with some of the key players in the biomass industry, with the Royal British Legion who launched their Somme 100th anniversary pack, & with the Money Advice Service to plan how to increase educational efforts for lifelong financial management skills. Its never dull, always varied, this job!

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I rounded off the week with a visit on Saturday to RAF Leeming to discuss the changing provision of glider training for our North East Air Cadets. There has been no gliding for two years, but the Minister has just signed off a new programme for Tutor flying which will bring new opportunities for Air Cadets, many of whom will become brave RAF airmen & women of the future.

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Do share this with friends. To subscribe to My Week in Westminster, please email team.trevelyan@gmail.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject box.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week In Westminster: Tourism Week

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 12:08:00 +0000

As a new week began, the focus on International Womens Day was brought close to home by our launch of Women for Britain, a group of women from all walks of life- business, law, finance, medecine and many others- who wanted to create a "low testosterone" forum in which to discuss the EU referendum. So many women have said to us that they want to be able to ask questions, assess the facts for themselves, and have a chance to think about what a return to being an independent country, freed from the EU political & economic union project, would mean for them and their families. You can find more on Facebook or Twitter.
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We held hearings in Public Accounts Committee on the training of new teachers, and on the programme coming forwards on the Right to Buy plans being rolled out. As a Committee, we are keen to spend more time pre-scrutinising and holding civil servants and Ministers to account before financial mistakes are made and vast sums of taxpayer money are wasted on projects.

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My new experience of the week was to be interviewed by Radio Northumberland for my Dessert Island Discs. Now that isn't a typo, it really was all about puddings! I had to choose 6 of my favourite tracks, but also one dessert which I would have to eat, to the exclusion of all others, for the rest of my life on that desert island! To find out what I chose, listen in on 19th March!
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As it was also Tourism Week last week, I spent some time on Friday visiting Bamburgh Castle, learning about their plans to draw more tourists to North Northumberland, and how we can best provide a great tourist experience which includes the castles, coast and Berwick Town's ancient historic interests. I also had the great pleasure of chatting with Seahouses Middle School students at the Bamburgh Castle Inn at Seahouses, where they were discovering all the jobs which underpin our tourism industry- from chefs to administrators. I was also challenged to pulling a pint of Farne Bitter.... Not a total disaster!

The coming week is the Budget, so two days of speculation followed by a very long statement on Wednesday. As MPs, we really do have no idea what will be in it. It will be a surprise for us all.

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My Week In Westminster ... And the North Yorks Moors.

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 09:35:00 +0000

As part of my continuing education of the Armed Forces through the excellent Parliamentary Scheme, I was invited to spend Monday at RAF Fylingdales near Whitby, right in the middle of the North York Moors and National Park. The radar station is fascinating, and it was a pleasure to meet some of the RAF's space management experts, monitoring airspace and working with the USA to protect us from missile threat.

Back on the ground, I met with the Banks Mining team again, who keep me regularly updated on their mining operations across Northumberland. I was also able to welcome the prison governor from HMP Northumberland to The House of Commons, to introduce him to my fellow Northumbrian MPs. As a recently privatised prison, there has been a good deal of change & anxiety, and I want to build bridges so that the new Sodexo team can make best progress on inproving the working prison model, which aims to reduce re-offending through work skills.

The Airport Operators Association held its annual dinner to which I was kindly invited. I have been working with Newcastle Airport for many years on the question of APD taxes which have a power drag effect on regional airports. It was interesting to meet with airline leaders from across Europe and hear their thoughts on the potential outcome of the forthcoming EU Referendum. Mixed views as ever!

I met with the North East Schools Commissioner, who oversees the academies in our region. As a longstanding governor of Berwick Academy, and a supporter of freeing good schools to determine their direction free from local authority control, we talked in depth about the challenges of our many very small schools. I explained that I continue to be actively pushing for Government to sort out the funding formula to make it fair for all children. At present, Northumberland's schools get hundreds of pounds per year less than many other counties. I am pleased that the Secretary of State for Education is actively looking at a new national funding formula which would help Notthumberland.

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My daughter got confirmed this weekend, so we had a wonderful family gathering for this important stepping stone to adulthood. Stopping my continuous & frenetic day-to-day political activity to contemplate the bigger picture is very good for the health. And I am officially a very proud Mum.

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My Week in Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 10:38:00 +0000

Last week began with the Prime Minister's statement on the EU Referendum, with his declaration of the date now set for Thursday 23rd June. I was given the opportunity by the Speaker to ask the PM about ensuring that our military personnel serving abroad at that time will not be disenfranchised. You can see my question live HERE

Whilst I was pleased to give the PM the opportunity to diffuse a difficult afternoon in the Chamber with an Arctic Circle joke, the key point will be ensuring that we have a robust and effective voting system for our troops. This is a key area for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Armed Forces Covenant which I set up to campaign on- there will be no vote more important in the lives of our troops for the foreseeable future. They absolutely must not suffer any disadvantage.

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On broadband, I was very pleased to receive a reply from Ofcom which agreed with me on the need for BT/Openreach to do much better or risk being broken up. This is an ongoing battle for all those of us who have big rural constituencies for whom BT's efforts to date in reaching small communities has been at best slow, at worst non-existent. And it is shocking to hear some of the places in the south of England that we Northumbrians would assume should be (& are) easy to invest in. We shall battle on and try to persuade DCMS to be more robust. I have also written to the Norwegian telecoms to find out how they manage to provide 4G in the Arctic Circle!

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I was pleased to support my colleague Derek Thomas MP for his debate on the future funding of community pharmacies, and the Minister Alastair Burt's reply which you can find HERE.

For our patch, the need to ensure that funding streams will support the vital community pharmacies is vital since they act as central points in villages like Shilbottle, where the post office counter is now co-located. I am hopeful that the Minister understands the rural issues.

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A group of us have been battling with getting a better set of changes for Sunday Trading rules than was presented in the Enterprise Bill. I have concerns about the pressures on family life and the need to continue valuing a day of rest/religious onservance/mini-rugby et al. We are hopeful that the Minister has heard our anxieties (which we set out with an amendment) and that next week we may see a new Government amendment to the bill which we feel able to support. Getting the better deal for our own patch, and on a bigger scale, is a constant negotiation and discussion.

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On Friday I had a chance to visit RAF Odiham to meet with aircrews and their teams to talk about family accomodation & changes to the new military employment model. They also took me up in a Chinook helicopter to demonstrate what an extraordinary "elephant ballerina" our most used helicopter is, and why every one of our armed forces have cause to be grateful to those pilots & crew. The Chinook has saved many, many lives thanks to their bravery on the front line to drop off or pick up troops.

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My Week in Westminster - the Arctic Circle

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 17:19:00 +0000

Sometimes life affords experiences & opportunities which you could never have imagined: and I rather think the whole of the last week falls into that category for me.

Last Sunday, as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme which I am involved with, a group of 8 MPs and 2 Peeresses left RAF Brize Norton and headed to Northern Norway. We landed in Evenes and drove to the Allied Training Centre, where we met up with the Royal Marines (45 Commando). We were there to learn about the arctic warfare training which our Commandos go through, the most rigorous & tough in the world (to which the US Military even send troops to train with us).

We spent an amazing 3 days living alongside the Royal Marines, watching them train in ice falls into frozen lakes; watching drills for beach landings; and had the privilege to get right into a full arctic exercise, meeting with those on the front line, and the whole logistics team. I had never imagined snow trenches, but it makes perfect sense once you see them.

The Marines also decided that we should experience part of the normal commando training of a survival night out in the cold. They were kind enough to give us 3 fully trained RMs to help, but we did build shelters, gather firewood and build a fire with flint & steel, and make a delicious chicken stew.

The ambient temperature of around -10c would have been OK, but the temperature dropped suddenly when the wind got up, and the CO decided that the last 4 hours of the night might be better spent in a tent- phew!

The following morning we watched an ice break fall (demonstrated by one of the instructors, fortunately- the Marines decided it was too risky to drop an MP through the ice!) before heading back to base to pack and head off to the airport once again.

A truly extraordinary time: the Northern Lights came out to play & I discovered just what an exceptional, resilient & good-natured group our Royal Marines really are.

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It also turned out that even though we were 3 degrees into the Arctic Circle 4G phone signal is everywhere. So I will now be contacting the Norwegian authorities to find out how they have managed to do what BT, Openreach and DCMS have yet succeeded in doing in far less difficult territory across rural Britain.......

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As if the first part of my week was not dramatic enough, the second half has been full of EU negotiations, media activity and then declarations on Friday evening. I was then charged with presenting the Leave voice on the Today programme on Saturday morning. Honoured & a just a little bit nervous, I kept remembering that I had just been to the Arctic Circle and survived a night outdoors (OK, with 3 Marines!) so really even John Humphries should not be that terrifying!

You can here my interview here: Start at 1.15.00 to listen. https://t.co/QXrsSb2bnk

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The week ahead is full of EU Referendum events, with the PM making a statement tomorrow, and I am rapporteuring for the Public Accounts Committee on the Financial Management of the EU on Thursday. But none of it will come up to the truly unique & awe-inspiring few days of the Arctic last week.

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My Week In Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 10:49:00 +0000

As the debate about the EU Referendum, which No 10 seems to indicate will be in June, hots up, I have been doing a good deal of national media on the subject. It does make me chuckle that as a female Conservative MP from the North East, I meet public broadcasting diversity targets at many levels! I had my first experience of the Today programme on Radio 4, which wasn't as scary as I had feared. The Daily Politics was actually quite fun!
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So, whilst all the activity which inevitably surrounds any election builds up, other equally important matters are building: I have been meeting with women born in the early 1950s who are being hit by the multiple pension age changes, part of the WASPI national campaign, with our first big debate in the House last week. Yesterday we gathered a core of ten ladies in Wooler to plan our local campaign efforts for the constituency. Whilst everyone agrees with the equalisation of pension age, there needs to be a solution found which reflects the reality for so many of these women, who did not pay enough National Insurance Contributions because in the 1960s and 70s there were still serious disparities in job equality, family roles and other areas which are- for my generation & those following- now thankfully confined to history.

If you are affected, or know someone who is, please ask them to email me directly and I can put them in touch with the campaign team.
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I am working closely with the forestry industry, and held a variety of meetings over the last week with tree nurseries & our supporters of the APPG on forestry, to drive forwards the critical agenda of increasing trees planted as part of the flooding reviews & work towards river basin catchment planning. I met with Minister Oliver Letwin to discuss the details of the Review and how we can make sure the North of England's voice & experience is properly heard.
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It was World Cancer Day on Thursday, and I was discussing with many charities how we can better drive treatment, early intervention and diagnosis. We still have very late identification of cancers, which of course reduces the chance of full recovery. I will be continuing to work on education & health, investment into more radiography kit & staff, and ensuring that the Department of Health maintains a focus through the National Clinical Lead on joined up thinking. We must try to help people to help themselves on medical matters which do not need hospital resources so that more of our taxes can go to cancer & other life-threatening treatment programmes.
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And as part of my personal challenge to visit all our schools this year, I stopped into Lowick First School on Friday to catch up with all their news. I also had the great pleasure of awarding prizes at the annual Northumberland's Finest Awards for young people's achievements through their youth groups across our county. We have wonderful teenagers doing extraordinary community activities despite some tough personal beginnings. The next generation are thriving!
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My Week In Westminster... Its still January!

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 23:26:00 +0000

As ever, the political world rushes on, jumping from one critical issue to another & journalists try to determine the agenda.

We have seen more tragic news about job losses at the steel works in Port Talbot, following on from Redcar last year. The challenges of EU energy pricing over several years, only now being addressed by the Government (this issue was one I battled on some years back when the now closed Alcan plant was being knocked by high energy costs); The challenge of China "dumping" steel into the EU at prices well below those of British production cost, for which our Government cannot so far persuade the EU to find a way to impose limits, or tarriffs, in order to protect national steel industries. This particular issue is but one, along with migration which we cannot determine, red tape & regulations which restrict British trade, the inability to make bilateral trade deals with non-EU countries, and environmental directives which have driven water management and farming practices which may be causing flooding impacts we are now seeing. The battle lines for the British people to consider the EU Referendum are being drawn.
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So amidst all the discussions about the EU and how Britain decides to move forwards, it was a joy to visit C.E.L.L., the social enterprise based in Lynemouth which is developing two amazing businesses in Weave, and kenspeckle.co.uk. The former makes costumes for shops like Hamleys, the latter fabulous chocolate & toffee for customers from Selfridges to Fortnum & Mason. We are harbouring great talent & potential in Northumberland and I was honoured to meet some of those who have committed so much time & energy to building these businesses up and are providing skilled work for many local people.
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I have been meeting with many more specialists in the mental health arena, from regional clinical directors to psychiatrists specialising in military veterans care. The Motor Neurone Disease Association held a big rally at Westminster and I have been challenging Ministers to ensure that the National Director for Neurological Diseases is maintained in the new framework to ensure medical resources into early care are there for sufferers. So much of all this is about early intervention- not necessarily the best part of what our NHS does. I shall keep on at them!
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On the finance side I have met with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, whom I trained with a very long time ago! They are a great sounding board for some of my financial policy ideas which I will be putting to the Chancellor in the run up to the budget. Shy bairns get nowt.
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Localy news that the Alnwick Schools Partnership has all been approved is good news, but we are not yet fully on top of flooding support for farmers in North Northumberland affected by the build up of water from the 3 storms over Christmas. I am working with County Hall & Ministers to get the best deal for our farmers.
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Hot off the press: In the last 48 hours farmers are telling me that their Single Farm Payments are at last coming through. If you still haven't received yours do contact me.
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My Week In Westminster : the New Year begins.

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:26:00 +0000

There is nothing like the first day back after the Christmas holidays - to work, to school, or even to the House of Commons, to bring you back down to earth with a bump! Our first day back on Tuesday was going to be sitting until 10pm (normal Monday schedule), but because the Speaker granted 4 statements from Departments, the business of the day, the third reading of the Housing & Planning Bill, didn't kick off until nearly 8pm, with 6 hours of debate ensuring our last vote of the evening at 2am!

The upside of these rather strange late night sittings is that you get the chance to have a proper discussion with colleagues on matters of importance, and the EU Referendum and my publicly declared position of supporting the Leave campaign (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article4655773.ece), because I don't believe we have asked for meaningful reform and therefore can't expect to get it, was the topic with colleagues.

Away from the EU debate, a good deal of my week was then spent preparing for my debate in Westminster Hall on the Armed Forces Covenant Report - we had the opportunity to look at how the Government is doing to empower departmental change, but also a national consciousness, to "think Armed Forces Covenant" in all that we do in our daily lives. I hope very much that this has provided a starting point for the House to tackle this in the months and years ahead in a wide public discussion. You can watch the whole debate at http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/e8ebe5b8-9139-48c2-870a-55ba86ad7736.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on the Armed Forces Covenant, which we set up just before Christmas & which I chair, will be reporting on areas such as the Corporate & Community Covenants, the Fighting Fit report and how well supported veterans and their families are in practise across the UK.

In my role as a member of the PAC, we went to Oxford on Wednesday to visit the Major Projects Leadership Academy- this is where senior civil servants go to gain the right skills to manage some of our most complex Government projects, from HS2 to Hinckley Point. We had the chance to hear from some of the world's leading academics on how well the UK does, in terms of value for money as well as other outputs. It was fascinating to hear from them what their perfect project trajectory looked like... Not one which starts with politicians' vision without detailed work-up first!

Constituency day on Friday started with an excellent meeting with some of our farmers (this is a regular gathering so that we can keep in contact on key issues). The dreaded Single Farm Payment system has proved it still doesn't work, with payments made in December only for very small holdings, and none of those at the meeting having received their SFP. I led a report on this with the PAC before Christmas, and I am appalled that all the warm words given to us by DEFRA officials that the vast majority would have received payments by Christmas have proved unfounded. Is it any wonder that farmers have no confidence in the department charged with supporting them? Much work to do here in raising expectations & pushing DEFRA to get effective computer systems up & running. But first to ensure that my Northumbrians farmers don't continue to be the "bank of Government" by picking up endless bank charges & interest payments on overdrafts caused by slow SFP payments. Stock has to be fed through the winter, equipment has to be serviced, and all those bills have to be paid.

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My Week in Westminster: from Syria to Amble

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 08:39:00 +0000

The last fortnight has been intense at many levels, from the Security & Defence Strategic Review (SDSR) to the Comprehensive Spending Review(CSR), from the vote on extending bombing into Syria to the dramatic floods in Cumbria & Northumberland.

From a North Northumberland perspective, the CSR gave us great steps to help our patch develop, with the approval for an Enterprise Zone in Berwick itself, and Powers of Competence for Northumberland National Park. I was personally pleased that the Chancellor showed he had listened to my concerns about tax credits & getting a lower-tax, higher-wage, lower-welfare environment by rationalising tax credits with universal credit over the next two years rather than trying to make short term & confusing changes now.

Amble has been rewarded for its fantastic development efforts, winning The Great British High Street's "Best Coastal High St" award! I was so pleased to be able to join Amble Business Club & Development Trust ladies at the awards ceremony in Whitehall on Monday.

I have had a lot to consider in terms of voting matters. The vote on Syria has dominated, and it generated a lot of correspondence from constituents - most was honest & considered dialogue, but in the four days running up to the vote, I was sent a number of aggressive & threatening emails and social media comments which required a firm hand. I am well experienced at being the butt of offensive commentary (being a Conservative in the north east is sometimes akin to being a funfair coconut shy!) but some of this stuff was really unpleasant, ignorant, rude & threatening. I am considering publishing it all alongside my responses, in the spirit of transparency & honesty that these Momentum and Stop The War campaigners don't seem to follow themselves.

I have also been closely involved in two private members bills:

-the first one calling on Government to mandate First Aid Education in Schools. This was talked out by some MPs who are encouraged to stop progress of PMBs. This was a very depressing experience, especially because whilst there may be some challenges for schools in how they do this, the potential life & cost-savings as far as the department of health is concerned are enormous. You can read my contribution to the debate at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2015-11-20a.984.0&s=speaker%3A25439#g1003.0

- the second PMB was on Pavement Parking regulations, in conjunction with the Guide Dogs, RNIB & many others. We have made some progress with Government now willing to hold roundtable talks to review best practice & assess the complexities of present regulations. It is possible to make progress with departmental support.

The week ahead brings new challenges- a vote on the Prum Convention (EU DNA data sharing) & Rapporteuring on our Public Accounts Committee hearing on failings by DEFRA on the CAP programme. Both of these issues have direct & detrimental impacts on my constituents.

And in case you hadn't realised, it's only 18 sleeps 'til Christmas!

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My Week In Westminster- Voting to go to war?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 12:43:00 +0000

It has always been the issue of greatest concern to me if I got elected: that I would become responsible for voting about whether we should send our troops into harms' way and take our great nation to war.

As I stood at the Remembrance services two weeks ago, I contemplated again that so many of our young people have gone to war to defend our nation & our values, and have made the ultimate sacrifice. That around the globe today, British armed forces are protecting our assets, saving lives through humanitarian programmes, and teaching other armies to build skills to defend their own nations.

As part of trying to become much better educated on this, in case I ever have to vote, I joined the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme and have been visiting bases around the UK, from HMS Faslane in Scotland, to RAF Boulmer in Northumberland, to detailed briefings at Shrivenham from Chiefs of Staff of all services and Joint Command.

I am now much reassured that all our Armed Forces personnel are extraordinarily well trained, committed and keen to put all that into action to protect their country and serve the Queen.

So now the question remains, when is it right to take our nation to war, putting it at risk of reprisal, of attack, of threat to civilian lives at home?

And the answer comes back to me more clearly every day - if the values and freedoms we hold dear, that all those Great War and WW2 troops fought for, are put under threat, then it is the Government's first duty to protect our people, our interests & the future of our ideals.

MPs are likely to have to vote in the coming weeks on whether to join other nations already committed to the Syrian battlespace, to extend our commitment to beating the Daesh-ISIL terrorists who are trying to create a Caliphate across Iraq and Syria. These people want to eradicate modern Western ideals of freedom of thought, speech and action, of womens' rights. They want to return societies to a pre-Enlightement world where a repressive religious State controls every aspect of our lives.

This is not a vision which I could ever find acceptable, and therefore I am reaching the inevitable, but no less difficult, decision that the right thing to do would be to give my assent to our Government sending our armed forces to fight Daesh-ISIL, not only in Iraq as we are doing already, but wherever these terrorists are in the world, including Syria. Our RAF personnel are already deploying over Iraqi soil, but at the moment we stop "at the border" with Syria.

Under an international UN-backed framework, nations who want to ensure our values, must fight together to eliminate those terrorist groups who threaten our modern world, intent on destroying freedom of thought & action which we have all built up - the victory of modern freedoms protected by long fought-for laws of equality for women & minorities, for all peaceful religious groups and for those of no faith at all.

As that great Frenchman Francois-Marie Voltaire wrote in 1770:

"Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write."

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If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

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My Week In Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 13:56:00 +0000

An extended Indian summer turned to Autumn with a vengeance on Sunday as our towns & villages commemorated our war dead at services across the county. I was honoured to be laying wreaths in Berwick and Alnwick to remember all those from North Northumberland who have given their lives to ensure our freedom: so that we can sleep peacefully & securely in our beds at night.

I have always felt strongly about Remembrance, and as a new MP I am also acutely conscious of my responsibility in deciding whether to vote to send troops to war. What has struck me this year, as I meet many armed forces personnel, is that they are not too bothered by who their changing political masters are, because they fight for Queen & Country.

One former soldier said to me this weekend that, during his tours in Iraq & Afghanistan, he knew he was there for good reasons; not necessarily those given by the then Prime Minister Mr Blair, but because he was putting his life at risk for his Queen, as he knew she would do for him.

And as we sang the second verse of the National Anthem at the Alnwick Memorial yesterday, those words reinforced that wise & reflective soldier's view:

May She defend our laws,

And ever give us cause,

To sing with heart & voice,

God save the Queen.

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Much of the rest of my week has been spent getting to grips with the threat to our Jus-Rol factory's future in Berwick, as their US owners consider whether to shut it. I battled with closed doors until eventually we got the head of General Mills UK's attention and he was gracious enough to come and meet with me at the House of Commons. We now have communications, and the Business Minister has been hugely helpful in getting her regional team into action quickly so that we can assess what options are available for the site & workforce.

I met with some of the employees on Friday and we will be hosting another employee meeting next Sunday afternoon at the Guildhall.

This is going to be a tough fight, but I will leave no stone unturned to try to find a going concern solution.

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I was so pleased that, following a call for help from my constituent Sarah Pape, one of the UK's leading burns specialists, to get UK help to burns victims of the Romanian nightclub fire in Bucharest, I was able to ask a PMQ on Wednesday to that effect. (http://www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk/news/berwick-mp-has-pmq)

I can report that last night a NATO flight landed with 9 patients who will receive world-leading treatment in several of our UK burns units. So proud of our humanitarian support which can be put into action so effectively in times of crisis like this. But even prouder of our very own Sarah who led by example and went to the disaster itself to offer her skills.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

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My Week in Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 01:11:00 +0000

Key issues debated in the House of Commons last week included a cross party amendment calling for the scrapping of VAT on sanitary products, & in the House of Lords the rejection of the statutory instrument on tax credit reform, sending the Treasury team back to the drawing board on how to make savings in the welfare bill.

The Labour amendment was asking for the Government to attempt to get a change in policy of VAT on sanitary products, which I wholeheartedly support and which is why I put my name to the amendment. These sorts of amendments are aimed at helping ministers progress on areas of policy, in this case the Finance Bill.

During the course of the debate, I and many others, male & female, from all sides of the House, raised with the Finance Minister David Gauke MP this key anomaly which British women believe should be changed.

The reality is that when British voters decided to join the EEC in 1975, Great Britain gave up control of its VAT rules, at which point sanitary products were listed as luxury goods under existing British sales tax laws.

The only way we could now both (a) reclassify sanitary products as essentials, rather than luxury goods, and (b) be able to zero-rate these products which are presently VAT-able, is for us to get a unanimous agreement from all 28 EU states to let us do those two things, via something called a derogation.

And I am pleased to say that the Minister listened to us all, and has agreed to go to the EU states and ask for their support to give us this freedom. Because he agreed to do this, the amendment was no longer needed- he had agreed to implement what we jad asked for.

I will be following closely how the Minister makes progress on this, and if he cannot get unanimous agreement I will call on the UK government to unilaterally alter this luxury goods listing to essential and zero rate it without EU approval. In reality this is one of so many issues over which we have given up sovereign control. It may well be that in the end, if other EU countries won't support us then we will have to Vote to Leave the EU and get back control over our taxes, borders & trade.

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I have received a huge postbag on the tax credit reforms & I have had lots of concerned messages so thought I would set out where we are and my views on it all.

Firstly to explain that the Statutory Instrument which will change the level for working tax credits was voted through on 15th September, and I supported the Government. This week there was also a Labour motion which was a non-binding Labour Party motion to oppose all reform to Tax Credits. I absolutely do not support this view - we must sort out the tax credits system.

The reality is that when Gordon Brown started on his tax credit programme in 1999, designed to encourage a low wage economy & voter reliance on Government top-ups, the expectation was that this would cost the Treasury some £1.5bn per year. Last year they cost us £29.5bn. This is clearly both unsustainable and wrong - Brown's policy has left families limiting their working hours for fear of loss of tax credits, and employers paying low wages for a hard day's graft with the strange false limit at 16 hours per week limit for many.

This disruptive work subsidy has limited the ability of employees to work as they would like. Our tax credit reforms, as part of a wide package of reforms, will get our economy back onto a healthier footing.

Our reforms package includes:

The increase in free childcare to 30 hours per week will mean that parents can work more hours without additional costs;

The increase in the personal tax allowance to £12,500 by 2020 means people can earn more before having to start paying income tax;

The new Living Wage of £7.20 for over-25s from April 2016 will ensure employers are paying fair wages - the Living Wage will rise to £9 by 2020.

The challenges we will have as the reforms kick in through 2016 is real, and many Conservative colleagues & I have raised this with ministers. But my biggest worry is that the Labour Party are trying to create panic amongst those who presently receive various tax credits, and causing huge anxiety for many, without offering anything constructive at all.

As a practical person and accountant, I want tools to be able to support families who are concerned about these reforms.

I have therefore this week asked ministers & officials to set up an income calculator on the lines of the existing HMRC calculator to help me, as an MP, and others to work out what the changes in the round will mean to an individual set of circumstances, and indicate how many more hours a week one might need to find under the new framework to mitigate the reduction of working tax credits.

I will be chasing Ministers on this proposal until we have tools to understand the reforms person by person, business by business, and to stop Corbyn's scare campaign from creating unnecessary worry to many.

I am committed to working night and day for every one of my constituents, and helping make these reforms work for the taxpayer alongside mitigating the effects of these reforms where necessary.

If you have personal anxieties please do get in touch directly with all your details.

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Other events last week included more lobbying to get Government to consider first aid education in schools - a no-brainer as far as I am concerned, since prevention is always better than cure.

I had a variety of meetings with mental health organisations as well as continuing to build on plans to get a firm & equal footing for palliative care funding within the NHS.

The news of General Mills' plan to shut the Jus-Rol factory hit on Friday and I have been starting to get every potential supporter and advisor on board over the weekend.

I will keep you updated on this as the coming week progresses.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP 21a Hotspur Bondgate Without Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1PR United Kingdom
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My Week In Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 11:49:00 +0000

Last week had sadness hanging over it for me, as I went to young Adam Donaldson's funeral on Friday, the young man who died in an industrial accident so tragically at the Biddlestone Quarry.

I also met with the chief executive of our North East Ambulance Service to discuss how progress on recruitment is going, and to ensure that, following my campaigning, the Secretary of State for Health's instructions to solve the anomalies of meal breaks and calling out paramedics to life threatening calls are being implemented. I started trying to get change on this after the tragic death of young Kyle Lowes in Berwick earlier this year. I am so pleased that it really is possible to make progress on big issues like this by continually pushing on the door. Let us hope that better protocols across the country will reduce uneccessary deaths.

There was a lot of debate this week about the Steel Industry's problems, and with the Chinese State Visit going on at the same time, the challenges of not being able to control how we manage our strategic industries because decisions are made at an EU level have been brought into sharp focus.

In the Public Accounts Committee we challenged Network Rail on their very slow progress in getting electrification underway for several big projects - I neve cease to be amazed, as I meet more & more Permanent Secretaries, of their ability to ignore what looks blindingly obvious to a layman- that budgeting correctly in the first place should be a no-brainer, rather than not preparing and assessing first, but simply discovering that works are going to be much more costly than they thought. Which means that we, the taxpayer, have to find twice, or even thrice the amount originally budgeted. To say I am shocked on a weekly basis is starting to be an under-statement.

On Friday The Chancellor George Osborne MP was in the North East signing the devolution agreement to set in motion the process for us to elect a North East Mayor, our very own Geordie Boris, who will have £30m per year for 30 years of funds which we believe we can spend better than Whitehall does at the moment on stuff like integrated transport, joined up health and social care, and much more. We expect the first Mayoral election in 2017.

Back in the constituency, I had an excellent visit to St Michaels CE First school to launch their JETS after school club, and was given a wonderful description of my job by one 7-year old... "Our MP looks after us and our country". I will continue to do my very best to meet her clear and correct description.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week In Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 23:36:00 +0000

As the regular Westminster schedule got back into its stride last week, we were voting on the Immigration Bill, Local Government Devolution & the Charter for Fiscal Responsibility. I held my first debate in Westminster Hall on the locally important issue of safety in HMP Northumberland, our local prison in Acklington. You can watch the full debate at http://www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk/news/prisons-minister-pledges-visit-hmp-northumberland

My week also had quite a military feel to it with the second reading of the Armed Forces Bill & my intervention during a mental health debate on the need for better provision for ex-servicemen who need support in the north east; and the visit to the Houses of Parliament of a team of RAF military from RAF Boulmer to experience the "new politics" of PMQs with Jeremy Corbyn.

Some of my key campaign battles took small steps forwards with an excellent meeting with the Highways England team rolling out our A1 Dualling in Northumberland- for which your help on key junctions data gathering would be much appreciated. The short survey is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2R99BMR

And I also met with an interesting business, Actual Experience, who run the BbFix tool which I hope is going to help us see how we can most effectively improve our broadband across Northumberland.

My work on the Public Accounts Committee continues apace - we tackled Care Act progress & military financial management at the MOD. We base our reviews on National Audit Office reports which highlight failings on getting value for money for the taxpayer. Some hearings have been quite shocking to me already, in the way that civil servants seem able to avoid taking responsibility for success (or otherwise) of policy implementation. Every permanent secretary we grill makes me more convinced of the accuracy of Yes Minister!

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week in Westminster - the party conferences

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 22:37:00 +0000

The last week of recess before heading back to the Westminster routine was full of action- the first half of which I spent in Manchester at the Conservative Party Conference.

Being a new MP meant that I was on duty most of the time, and was on various panels discussing issues from "Food Banks & the Role

Of the Church" organised by the Trussell Trust, to a discussion on "Delivering Conservative Forestry Ambitions" in my role as the co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Forrestry.

I spoke at a number of events on the urgency of getting a Universal Service Obligation for rural broadband, met with a number of charities with whom I am working on autism matters, on first aid in schools, on wider special needs and a variety of military charities with whom I continue to build networks to try to improve mental heath support for our military veterans.

And I also got to be "eye candy" (!!) as the Daily Mail described me when I was photographed walking with George Osborne as he headed to the conference hall to give his major speech. If being eye candy will afford me 15 minutes of conversation with the Chancellor- where I discussed the Universal Service Obligation issue - then I will subject myself to such ridiculous comments quite willingly.

The end of the week gave me the chance to join the students at Nunnykirk Specialist School for Dyslexia near Rothbury. I had a fantastic tour of the school, learned how to do times tables using my fingers, and got a proper PMQ style grilling from all the students. I hope that I acquitted myself adequately and actually answered their questions. My last appointment of the week was at Rothbury's parish church with the marvellous Reverend Boag, with whom I discussed many local plans, the challenge of the Harbottle surgery provision (for which we have a temporary solution to ensure services over the coming winter months) and exciting plans for the church organ restoration getting underway thanks to the Lottery Fund grant recently received.

Oh yes, and on Saturday I went to HMS Faslane on the Clyde to see a little of our armed forces exercise led by the RAF called Joint Warrior, a regular multi-nation training exercise. I met with many military personnel and even got to sit in a Hawk jet- it was very small in terms of pilot space, though maybe I am not quite as slim as a mega-fit pilot!

Back to Westminster commuting next week & the rough and tumble of front line politics.

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

My Week In Westminster: Summer Tour during Recess

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 18:18:00 +0000

Its been a gorgeous week touring all our little villages, from Capheaton in the south, to Elsdon in the West, Scremerston in the North and Craster on the coast.

We have seen a resolution- albeit temporary setup for now- for Harbottle surgery provision, which is great news. Despite the frustrations all round, NHS England have found a way forwards which will ensure provision continues up the valley.

I have had a busy week on the schools front, meeting a large number of our head teachers and hearing about what works and what doesn't for them & their pupils. I have been able to visit Berwick's Middle School, Spittal First School & The Grove Special School this week to hear about all the great ways of learning which go on there. I loved watching the teacher challenging maths games in Spittal- those children were right on top of their tables!

I am supporting Branton & Embleton 1st schools as they live under the threat of closure at present caused by the Alnwick partnership review. I am hopeful that we will win a reprieve and new longterm solutions for both those excellent schools will be supported by County Hall. The small rural school isn't a luxury, its a necessity for all our most isolated children.

On Monday I had a full tour of Northumberland College in Ashington, where some of our children go to study engineering, beauty, construction and other specialisms. There is an amazing set up following the renovations & investment, and I am looking forward to visiting Kirkley Hall- the College's land based courses centre- before too long. I was particularly excited to hear about their new Military Academy which is a year long course teaching young people some of the skills they will need to be successful in applying to the Armed Forces.

A flying visit to our prison HMP Northumberland at Acklington on Friday proved very informative: I was able to talk with the director at length on the changes in staffing levels, and to the Prison Officer Association team about the level of drugs coming into prison & the new recording cameras which prison officers wear- as part of a national pilot which our officers say is making a tangible improvement in behaviour from young, energetic prisoners. If you are, or know of, anyone working in the prison, I am keen to hear from as many voices as possible before I lead on a debate on the subject in the House of Commons in mid-October.

The start of my party conference activities took place this morning with an interview on Radio 4's Broadcasting House. We discussed the forthcoming EU Referendum and despite the broadcaster's best efforts to try to create a divide, they were unsuccessful. Voters want to have their voice heard on their future EU membership, and this Government is putting the legislation into place to allow that to happen. How every voter decides to cast his vote will be for the campaigns for STAY and LEAVE to persuade, not the Government.

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk

Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP 21a Hotspur Bondgate Without Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1PR United Kingdom
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My Week in Westminster : Summer Tour during short recess

noreply@blogger.com (Anne-Marie) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 18:18:00 +0000

There is this strange two week return to Westminster at the start of term which them breaks again for the Conference Season. So our second week in Westminster saw more voting on finance issues like the reduction in the benefit cap to a maximum benefit package for a family of £20,000. We also voted on the next stage of the Trade Union Bill which will demand a majority of union members to support strike action for it to be a legal strike.

There were lots of Battle of Britain commemorations and as a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (RAF section!) I had the privilege of being invited to several events and hearing from extraordinary RAF pilots & their teams past and present.

The crisis of GP provision rumbles on and I was able to get an emergrncy meeting with the Secretary of State's team to raise concerns and ask for support & pressure to ensure new provision is put in place as soon as possible. I have also had to raise the urgent problem of the threatened closure of the Covance Labs in Alnwick because their American owners want to sell it off. I have been hugely impressed by the Office of Life Sciences in BIS and the Chancellor's office in wanting to help find a longterm going concern solution for the workforce and a key asset within the North East's pharma industry specialism.

Citizens Advice Bureau launched their "Talk Abuse" campaign in Westminster and I continue to do all I can to support the excellent work they do at grass roots level to help those in crisis situations.

Back up in the constituency for our "mini-recess", I started my Christmas activities by helping Abbeyfield Society in Bamburgh launch their Christmas Cake Stir Up campaign. It might be the only cake I make this year!

The last leg of our Summer Tour is continuing to be busy, from meetings with small businesses to Macmillan Coffee Mornings, visits to farms and the NFU, alongside helping the Lowick villagers with their proposed community buyout of the Black Bull.

If you would like details of local surgeries or to speak to my team, please email trevelyanoffice@gmail.com or call 01665 517512.

If you want to catch up on earlier Weeks In Westminster, you can find them at www.teamtrevelyan.co.uk

If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime on 0207 219 4437 or by email to annemarie.trevelyan.mp@parliament.uk