I was delighted to hear that a very proud grandmother in Ashfield was cheering on her grandson, Alex Smith, as it was announced that he will join the England Deaf Football for the World Cup, as a goalkeeper. This is fantastic and just goes to show that anything is possible. I know that Alex will stand as a great inspiration to many of our young people.
I sent out a Net Zero survey to constituents last week and received an interesting result, which supports the Prime Minister’s recent decision to re-assess the Net Zero timescale and reduce the financial burden on working families. For example, 83.8% of constituents agreed with the ban on new petrol and diesel cars being delayed to 2035 and 90.7% agreed with the PM’s decision to exempt struggling households from having to switch to heat pumps. The results were clearly a ringing endorsement that the Government has made the right decision.
In other news this week, an Ashfield family who I worked with last year have finally got their granddaughter, Geneva, back at home with the support of around the clock team of carers. Robert and Julia are full time carers for their grandchildren Toby and Geneva. Geneva had very sadly been in ICU and a care unit due to illness. Without the appropriate care package in place, Julia and Robert were struggling to get her home. A big thank you must go to the ICU at Kings Mill and adult services at Nottingham County Council, who have been brilliant.
It was great to have the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, on my show last week. We discussed the burning issues that we face today, like the global migration crisis. We are a small island and simply cannot cope with the numbers of people attempting to enter this country. It is unacceptable to expect the UK to burden the major share of migration. It should involve an effort from all nations. It is no secret that I have been incredibly outspoken about this issue because I believe that the hardworking British taxpayer is being taken advantage of. I wholeheartedly support Suella and the real work she is doing to tackle the problem of illegal migration head on.
I am glad to announce that I have secured a further £20 million for our high streets in Ashfield. I have spent much of time speaking to local traders and listening to their concerns, which I have then fed back to the Government. On top of the £70 million I had already secured through the Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund, we now have this extra £20 million coming our way. After many years of being let down by Labour MPs, I am happy to see that Ashfield is finally getting the recognition it deserves. As someone who is born and bred in Ashfield, I can assure you that I will always work hard for the area.
