Watch my speech in Parliament on the Budget (27 November 2025) During the Budget debate in the House of Commons, I set out why the announcements in the Budget matter for people across Newcastle-under-Lyme – from long-overdue justice for former miners, to lifting nearly 1,800 local children out of poverty, making progress on support for our family farms, backing our NHS staff, and marking one year since the closure of Walleys Quarry. This Budget won’t solve every challenge ove

On Friday, I joined the Minnie Pit commemoration steering group, the Mayor and local residents in Halmer End for a very special moment – the planting of a new “Tree of Hope” at the memorial garden. The sapling is one of 49 grown by the National Trust from seeds taken from the Sycamore Gap tree, which was illegally felled in 2023. The number of saplings reflects the height of the original tree in feet, and it’s wonderful that one of the first has now been planted here in our c

UK Parliament Week is taking place from 24–30 November , and I’m inviting everyone across the constituency to get involved. It’s an opportunity for people of all ages to find out more about how Parliament works, how decisions are made and how each one of us can participate. This year, 44 organisations across Newcastle-under-Lyme  have signed up so far. Schools, youth groups and community organisations will be using their free UKPW resource kits to host workshops, games and di

My Personally Speaking Column in The Sentinel (20 November 2025) One of the best things of being our local Member of Parliament is getting out across Newcastle-under-Lyme to meet the people and businesses that drive our local community and our local economy. In recent weeks, that’s included visits to Meighs & Westleys in Holditch and Broxap in Chesterton – two examples of the many long standing businesses rooted in our community. At Meighs & Westleys, or the Westley Group, I

Following the recent announcement about the future of Betley GP Surgery, the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent has opened a consultation to gather views from patients registered at the practice. The current contract for Betley Surgery ends in March 2026, and the ICB must decide how patients will access GP services in the future. They are asking patients to complete a short survey to share their priorities and experiences. Responses are confi

Last week, Newcastle-under-Lyme said goodbye to one of its longest-standing independent businesses: Farmer’s Shoe Shop. For fifty years, Farmer’s Shoe Shop has been a fixture on our high street – providing quality footwear and friendly service to generations of local people. First opened by Frank and Sylvia Farmer in 1975 on Merrial Street, and later based on Bridge Street, the shop has played an important role in the life of our local economy for half a century. To recognise