Education Education Education has always been so important to Labour governments and me particularly as a teaching assistant for 7 years. The SEND system has been failing since austerity and covid and the 2014 changes did not work as planned. That’s why we are reforming the school system so that young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities get earlier support when they need it. After 18 months of extensive consultation with families, schools, experts, and gove

With the support of £1 billion from GB Energy, the UK’s new state energy company, we can generate and benefit from energy produced in our own communities. As we transition to clean power, we have the chance to build an economy that works for local people and the planet rather than rich oil companies.   The Co-operative Party has long campaigned for publicly owned and community-controlled power, and this made it into the Labour manifesto. The Government’s Local Power Plan is t

One of the Prime Minister’s ambitions is for 2/3 of young people to be in higher or further education or in an apprenticeship. And apprenticeships are traditionally the best way for young people to access and learn new skills while also earning a wage. Education should lead us to decent and rewarding jobs. The Government is backing apprenticeships with funding for training and I am working with Government to see how we can put more into them from the Apprenticeship Levy – par

It’s great that Falmouth Primary has been awarded funding for a Free Breakfast Club from April 2026. In Truro and Falmouth, we already have Free Breakfast Clubs at Tregony Community Primary School and St Francis CofE Primary School. These clubs give young people the best start to the day and support parents at the same time. So far, 7 million breakfasts have been served. Applications just opened for 1,500 schools to join the programme in September. See how to apply here:...

My son will attest that I don’t have much of a grasp of technology, and I know many parents feel the same. Most of us don’t have a full awareness of what our children are doing online or the reality of the content they’re seeing. Change is needed to keep young people safe online, which is why the government’s consultation launched in January is so important. We are taking action to make the online world safer by: Considering and debating the introduction of a minimum social m

Recently, I visited Crantock Beach, a beautiful surf spot and holiday destination, but also a coastline vulnerable to powerful Atlantic swells and storms. I met members of the Crantock Surf Life Saving (SLS) Club, who are fundraising for a new clubhouse, as their current building is deteriorating and now sits close to the cliff edge. The club has 160 members, many of them local children training to become lifeguards. With several rip currents caused by shifting sands, their s

As a backbench MP, it is rare to see one of your Bills make it into law. That’s why I’m so pleased that the Armed Forces Bill 2026 has incorporated the proposal from my Ten Minute Rule Bill to bring Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel within the remit of the new Armed Forces Commissioner. The Armed Forces Bill will also contain improvements for terms and conditions for service personnel, particularly in their housing, which was privatised under a Conservative government. Th

It’s hard to ignore the broken water system here in Cornwall, especially when the sea turns brown after rain. Poor water quality is not only bad for our health and environment, but also our local economy. Change is overdue. This month, we launched the new Water White Paper to tackle the broken water system head-on. It marks the most significant reform of the system in a generation. The Paper will replace the weak, fragmented regulatory framework with a single, powerful regula

Storm Goretti really shook Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Homes and businesses were damaged, vulnerable people were isolated, and tragically, a life was lost. Many of our roads have been blocked, power and internet connections were cut, and some have been without water. Our emergency services, utility teams, volunteers, and neighbours have responded brilliantly. I’m immensely proud of the way Cornwall has come together in the face of adversity. As the clean-up continues, I

I’m hopeful for 2026; thanks to the extensive groundwork laid in the first year, we are beginning to see results. Interest rates have fallen, helping homeowners with mortgages Inflation is easing Wages are rising faster than they have in a decade We’ve raised the National Living Wage We’ve cut £150 from the average energy bill Frozen rail fares Opened 500 more Free Breakfast Clubs Frozen prescription charges Investment in the NHS has delivered 5 million extra appointments and

From our pets and wildlife, to the farm animals that sustain our rural economy, animal welfare matters to us. That is why I am proud this Labour Government has launched the most ambitious Animal Welfare Strategy in a generation. We are closing loopholes, strengthening protections, and reviewing penalties for wildlife cruelty. We are banning trail hunting and cruel snare traps, and introducing a close season for hares. For pets, reforms will tackle puppy farming and smuggling,

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch this year. My office is always here to listen and help. While my team will take a short break between Christmas and the New Year, we will be back at full strength in January, and I look forward to getting straight back to work. If you need support, you can reach me by email at jayne.kirkham.mp@parliament.uk   or by phone on 01872 300 353 . However you spend the festive season, I hope you find moments of peace. Wishing you a joyful C

Recently, I joined volunteers at Truro Homeless Action Group for an early breakfast shift.   They serve food 365 days a year.   Homelessness has no place in a fair society, and charities can’t be expected to tackle it alone.   Labour’s new £3.5 billion Homelessness Strategy aims to halve rough sleeping, end B&Bs for families, and prevent homelessness before it starts.   Cornwall will get help to support families in temporary accommodation and with essentials like food and sch

No government has gone as far as this one in addressing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). After years of campaigning and hard work, the long awaited VAWG Strategy is here. And I am really pleased to see that it focuses on prevention as well as protection. The strategy is built around three goals: 1) preventing the radicalisation of young men, 2) stopping abusers, and 3) supporting victims. Education is central, and every student will receive lessons on healthy relation

No one should ever have to pull out their own tooth. Yet for some people, that is the desperate reality. Cornwall is a “dental desert”, and many don’t have access to a local NHS dentist, leaving them in pain, travelling miles for care, and turning up at the hospital with tooth decay. This Government is overhauling NHS dentistry. From April 2026, a new £4 billion contract will prioritise urgent and complex care, replacing the outdated UDA system that rewards quick check-ups ov

Removing bins from Cornwall Housing areas is deeply disappointing. Recently, I joined other volunteers for a litter pick around the Beacon in Falmouth. We collected over 100kg of rubbish. Four times the weight of the last litter pick in this area before the public bins were removed.  I understand the cost pressures on Cornwall Council. However, under this Labour government, the Council received its highest funding increase since austerity last year and will benefit from this

This summer, I launched a parliamentary petition to highlight the need for a swimming pool in Falmouth. The Falmouth & Penryn area is the only community in Cornwall without a pool. The nearest 25-metre pool is over half an hour away, leaving children and families with no local place to learn to swim. Local primary schools have reported a sharp drop in Year 6 children confidently swimming 25 metres, which is a worrying trend for a coastal town like Falmouth. Swimming is import

A lot is happening with buses in Cornwall. Buses are a real lifeline for people in rural areas. When routes are cut or become unreliable, it creates barriers to work, study, medical appointments, and social connections. I was really concerned to hear that First Bus will withdraw all its services in Cornwall from February 2026. I have contacted Cornwall Council, First Bus, Go Cornwall, Falmouth University and the union representing workers. My priority is ensuring a seamless c

The recent Budget revealed a huge investment for Cornwall with a £30 million Kernow Industrial Growth Fund. This is fantastic news as the fund will help unlock the enormous potential we already have in critical minerals, renewable energy, and marine innovation, among other sectors. By backing local infrastructure, research, and supply chains, it will attract new investment, create skilled jobs, and strengthen the industries that will power our future economy. Cornwall is at t

The Minister for Industry, Chris McDonald MP, recently visited Cornwall to launch the Government’s new Critical Minerals Strategy  and highlight Cornwall’s role in domestic mineral production. The Minister was taken on a whistle-stop tour of Camborne School of Mines, the University of Exeter, Falmouth Docks, Cornish Lithium, British Lithium and Cornish Metals Inc by Cornwall’s Labour MPs.   With lithium, tin and tungsten essential to everything from renewable energy and trans