At Home Office Questions, I raised the need for rural crime to be treated with the same seriousness as crime in our towns and city centres. For people in Newcastle-under-Lyme and across Staffordshire, a crime is a crime – wherever it happens. I welcome the Government’s approach to neighbourhood policing, but it is vital that rural communities see the real, on-the-ground benefits of it in practice.

The changes mean around 85% of estates are expected not to pay any more inheritance tax I welcome the Government’s announcement to raise the inheritance tax threshold for agricultural and business property – a change that will make a real difference for family farms here in Newcastle-under-Lyme, across Staffordshire and throughout the country. From April 2026, the threshold for Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief will rise from £1 million to £2.5 million

The Government has set out the biggest package of animal welfare reforms in a generation. I support these changes because they are practical, long overdue, and rooted in a simple principle – that how we treat animals reflects who we are as a society. Last week in the House of Commons, I spoke about why this moment matters – the ambition of these reforms and the way they are delivered. Raising animal welfare standards should go hand in hand with supporting farmers, rewarding t