In my first article following the General Election, I’d like to thank those that placed their trust in me by voting Labour, but also to reassure those that did not vote for me or did not vote at all, that I will devote myself to the service of everyone in the constituency, regardless of political persuasion.

It was a truly heartening campaign and particular thanks must go to the people or Camborne for electing a ‘chopper’ to represent them! I knew I’d get all the old jokes about Redruth, my hometown, including the ones relating to buses and earthquakes, but they were delivered with a twinkle in the eye, a smile on the face and were taken in good heart.

During the course of the General Election campaign, I explained to folk on the doorstep that I’m a plain speaker. You may not agree with everything I say, but I try to give straight answers to straight questions.

So here is a summary of the situation today: after 14 years of Conservative chaos and mismanagement, our country is broken. Not irreparably, but there are fundamental, structural fractures across the economy and society, some of which are in plain sight, and some of which are not. Due to a decade of underinvestment and mismanagement: our economy is flatlining; our tax burden is higher than it’s been since the war; our prisons are now full; our rivers and seas are increasingly polluted with sewage; living standards fell for the first time since records began over the last parliament; child poverty, food bank usage and anti-social behaviour are all increasing. In fact, the only thing that seems to be falling is life expectancy. This is the legacy that the Conservatives have left and it should never, ever be forgotten. The pandemic and war in Ukraine effected every single other country in Europe but they are not in the terrible state that we are. So, within 48 hours of the new Parliament, the Labour Government has begun the process of renewal. It will take 10 years to clear up the Conservative omnishambles.

In the very short term, the Parliamentary week has been extended to Monday to Friday for the next two weeks so we get the King’s speech delivered on 17th July, outlining the vast range of changes that we’ll be implementing as soon as practically possible, as well as getting as much through Parliament as we can before recess.

As a result of the extra time I’m required to be in Westminster, I’ll be working over the next few weekends to get the constituency office established and staffed, as I’m aware that many folk need to talk to me or request support. Please bear with me. But we start as we mean to go on: utterly focussed on the fundamentals of stimulating economic growth, investing in public services including the NHS and dentistry, cleaning up our rivers and seas, and dealing with the twin scourges of anti-social behaviour and child poverty. Meur ras.

Perran Moon

Labour MP for Camborne & Redruth