MPs Rebecca Pow and Ian Liddell-Grainger pen messages for the new year

GOODBYE 2019. I doubt if you will be greatly missed by many of us.

One year of painful indecision that followed a previous year of bluster and delay, which itself came after yet another wasted 12 months in the wake of the referendum.

We must move on, stop arguing and begin to be optimistic. There are positive things ahead – 2020 is bound to be better. Some events are already predictable with pinpoint accuracy.

For example – on January 31, 2020, Britain will leave the EU. End of story. No more silly antics in Parliament.

Even the Europeans understand that our membership is about to come to an end.

We also know that by December a trade deal with Europe will have been secured.

Of course, you can still hear doubting voices protesting that there is insufficient time to achieve it. But my advice is wait and watch.

The Prime Minister says he can do it. He now has a substantial majority in Parliament. He faces a Labour opposition still reeling from its own defeat and a Liberal Democrat party badly depleted and currently leaderless. But he has pledged to fulfil promises and – whatever you think of him – he is already doing exactly that.

There will be tens of millions more for the NHS – the money to be enshrined in law just to prove it. There will be additional investment in schools, and the police. Boris says 2020 could be golden for Britain.

He aims high. But it is surely healthier to reach for the skies than half-heartedly accept second best.

The whole of Government is in for a shake-up. The PM intends to make it work better, faster, and with more genuine care for everyone. This cannot be achieved in one calendar year but I am sure a significant start will be made very soon.

My intention is to be an active part of this process – bringing the issues that matter for Bridgwater and West Somerset right to the forefront of Ministers’ attention. I have a reputation for speaking my mind and fighting hard. I do not intend to go quiet in 2020.

IAN LIDDELL-GRAINGER
Bridgwater and West Somerset MP

THE New Year brings with it an exciting opportunity to bring the whole nation together, to get Brexit done and to move on with things that really matter to everyone whether it be the NHS, education, crime or the environment, and I sense a wave of new optimism in this respect.

I am honoured to be re-elected as your MP and I am looking forward to a period of stability during which I shall serve all constituents no matter how they voted.

I am delighted that the Prime Minister has asked me to continue as the Environment Minister delivering on the Government’s commitment to make this country the cleanest and greenest on earth.

I am responsible for steering the Environment Bill through Parliament. A piece of legislation that will provide the framework for a sustainable future for our environment, protecting and enhancing it for the future.

Taunton Deane will remain central to my work and I will continue to be a strong voice for the constituency, making the case for the £92.5m bid needed for vital infrastructure (schools, medical facilities, roads) ahead of further planned housing in Taunton Deane; working to secure further funding to improve our high-street; continuing to press for a rail station for Wellington and supporting the Wellington Monument restoration project.

In the meantime, do get in touch if you need to and finally I’d like to wish you all the best for the New Year.

REBECCA POW
Taunton Deane MP