In The King’s Speech on July 17 the Labour government laid out plans for 40 Bills that we will seek to pass over coming months and years.
It’s a huge raft of legislation as we grapple with the truly appalling legacy left to us by the Conservatives, and will include such things as: an Employment Rights Bill to ban exploitative zero hour contracts, end ‘fire and rehire’ and make sure the minimum wage is a genuine living wage; a Budget Responsibility Bill to ensure that we can never again have a Liz Truss-like budget that crashes our economy and sends mortgages skyrocketing; a Railways Bill to return train operating to public ownership; and of course an English Devolution Bill so that more of the decisions that affect the lives of local people are made locally and not by politicians up the line.
These may not be perceived by some as ‘wham-bam’ eye-catching legislation but each one of them will have a direct impact on the lives of many people across Camborne, Redruth and Hayle.
It’s really important, after years of British politics resembling something more like a daily soap opera, that the public understands that things will be done very differently under Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
He has been absolutely clear that politics will be consistently delivered in the national interest – country first, party second. Gone are the days of deliberately eye-catching or divisive politics. Politics will be delivered through the prism of strict fiscal rules, as economic growth is the only way to ensure we get the investment our public services desperately need and the changes will take time to deliver.
Businesses need long term stability in order to invest, so whilst there are many areas we’d like to change, we can only make the changes once the finances allow. There will be bumps along the way and I will be straight and open about what, in my estimation, can and cannot be delivered given the legacy left by the Conservatives.
Many folk have also asked me why this promise or that promise was not included in The King’s Speech. The reason, in almost every instance, is that we do not need new legislation to deliver on those promises. They can be delivered without the need for new Bills.
For my part, after spending pretty much all of July in Westminster, supporting the establishment of the new Labour government and preparing for the work ahead of us, I cannot wait to get home and spend August focussing exclusively on matters in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle. I know that I have many emails and messages to respond to but I need to prioritise setting up my office, recruiting staff and publicising surgeries which I will hold throughout the constituency.
Frankly, I cannot wait to get out on the doorsteps of Camborne, Redruth and Hayle again to listen and discuss how we will overcome the challenges we share.
Perran Moon
Labour MP for Camborne & Redruth