Steve Darling: I have much to do in 2025

Happy New Year! I hope that 2025 brings you and your loved ones prosperity and joy.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. I was fortunate enough to spend quality time with friends and family and also had the opportunity to join members of our community who were working hard throughout the Christmas season.

On Christmas Day itself, I visited Torbay Hospital to thank the emergency services staff for their hard work. I met with nurses from A&E and chatted about their work during the holidays. I also went live on Torbay Hospital Radio with presenter Davina to talk about my work as an MP, including getting government funding for much-needed upgrades to our local NHS.

On Boxing Day, I joined the Paignton Lion’s Club Boxing Day “Walk into the Sea” dressed as Father Christmas! It was cold, but it was for a good cause. The Paignton Lions Club does great work to improve health and wellbeing, strengthen communities, and support those in need. They’ve recently done a spectacle recycling scheme and a family fun day and dog show in Goodrington.

You can still donate to support the Paignton Lions Club! Text SEA to 70470 with your chosen amount or visit https://www.justgiving.com/lionsclub-paignton.

On New Year’s Eve, my wife and I met up with my youngest son in London, and we watched the fireworks over the Thames. It was a truly wonderful way to see the new year in.

The Christmas break was lovely, but I’m excited to continue fighting for Torbay in 2025. There will be challenges and opportunities, but I’m determined to work hard and fight for Torbay in Parliament.

It’s now been six months since I was elected as Torbay’s MP. It’s an honour, and I’m incredibly grateful to local people for giving me the opportunity to represent my home community in Parliament.

In that time, I have sent 5,656 emails, voted on 40 items, signed 80 Early Day Motions, made 42 spoken contributions in Parliament, submitted 137 written questions to the Government, and completed 2,401 pieces of casework.

I have challenged the government when I felt they’d got it wrong. There’s no denying that they are facing some real challenges, but that doesn’t excuse cuts to the Winter Fuel Allowance or denying pension justice to the WASPI women.

I was honoured when Lib Dem leader Ed Davey asked me to be the party’s Work and Pensions Spokesperson. This position allows me to question the government on these issues and sit on relevant committees where I can help improve government legislation.

Becoming an MP hasn’t changed my campaigning objectives; it’s allowed me to double down on them. My priorities are fighting for our local health services, action on the cost of living crisis, and an end to sewage dumping on our beaches.

On health, we know that Torbay Hospital desperately needs previously pledged funding to deliver significant upgrades. I’ve been lobbying the health secretary relentlessly to get these funds released. So much so that a Lib Dem colleague of mine quipped to me that Wes Streeting MP (the health secretary) must have a member of staff whose sole job is to handle the correspondence from myself about Torbay Hospital!

On the local economy, there’s also been positive news about investment into our local bus services and future towns, which I’ve been working towards since being elected.

I’m pleased that after years of campaigning by the Lib Dems, the government has announced a review into water companies dumping raw sewage. This is a welcome step, but we need an end to this scandal.

As we move into 2025, I have no intention of slowing down. I will continue to fight for Torbay and the issues that matter to local people.

If I can help, please get in touch by emailing steve.darling.mp@parliament.uk.

To keep up to date with my work as your MP, sign up for my weekly e-newsletter by going to www.torbaylibdems.org.uk/newsletter

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