This article was originally published in Wrexham.com, 29 October 2025, and can be found here.
This Labour government is not delivering the change that my constituents voted for last year.
After a decade and a half of economic negligence and political turmoil under the Tories, the crowning glory of which being the disaster that was Brexit, the country was sick of being asked to pay more for less and voted accordingly.
I stood for elected office, for the first time ever in my life, because I was fed up with an underperforming NHS, fed up with cuts to services while the rich got richer, fed up with the chaos and the cronyism. A change of government would bring in fresh ideas, put people before profit, and overhaul the way the country is governed.
First impressions matter, and since then, unforced error has followed unforced error and there have been too many policy missteps to recount here. While understandable, it is a shame that these errors have obscured the many positive changes made since July 2024.
Years of historically low interest rates in the 2010s made borrowing cheap. Instead of spending that money on building new infrastructure, like many European countries did, the Tories prioritised cutting the deficit, paring back the state at the expense of public services.
Where the Tories wasted years of low interest rates and cheap borrowing neglecting to invest in infrastructure and housing, this Labour government has bet big on the future by putting money into the infrastructure projects that will help deliver the long-term economic growth we need. Rail renationalisation, public control of buses, and water sector reforms are all one foot after another on the path to repairing the public realm.
Where austerity resulted in huge real terms pay cuts for essential workers like nurses, doctors, teachers, bin collectors, this Labour government has delivered fair pay deals that beat inflation. It has increased the National Minimum Wage for under-21s by 16%, and the National Living Wage for over-21s by 7%. It has introduced the largest upgrade to rights at work in a generation: fire and rehire outlawed, zero-hours contracts banned, Day One rights enshrined, protections from unfair dismissal.
Where the Tories cut us off from our closest neighbours and allies in an increasingly hostile world, this Labour government has brought us closer to Europe, restoring close ties and securing a huge trade deal that will make it easier for Welsh farmers to export to their largest market.
This is not enough. It is not the radical overhaul of the economy and society that I want to see. Until that happens, I know constituents will continue to vote for change and they may look in different places to find it.
Whatever happens next, I will continue to work tirelessly, first and foremost, as your constituency MP, and I will continue to argue for that radical change which will truly put the country on a different path.
That includes the fair taxation of extreme wealth. Millions of new council houses. A properly funded NHS free at the point of use for all. An end to child poverty and a decent start in life for all. An economy where no one has to choose between heating and eating. That is what I stand for and that will not change.