My Westminster Update

As I mark one year since becoming the MP for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge, I’d like to take the time to update you on what I’ve been doing to stand up for Staffordshire.

Backing British Farming

I believe we should do all we can to support British farmers, who work hard to put food on our table. That’s why I was deeply disappointed when the Chancellor announced that, from April 2026 onwards, Agricultural Property Relief (APR) will change so that agricultural assets will be subject to inheritance tax at a rate of 20% after the first £1 million.

I disagree with the principles behind this policy. The Government seems unable to grasp that just because a farm is a valuable asset, it does not mean that the farmers who work it are wealthy. In fact, British farmers currently face a number of financial challenges, ranging from soaring production costs to shrinking margins. They now face the prospect of having to break up their family farm, or not pass their business on to their children – this is simply not right.

However, I also believe that the Government have fudged the figures. First, they claimed that the policy would only affect 25%; independent analysis then showed that it would affect 66%, including 423 farms in our constituency alone. Next, they claimed that this tax would be a vital revenue raiser; more recent projections have suggested that this tax will lose a colossal £2bn per year.

Over the past year, I have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers at their Farmers’ Marches, and I have taken the time to meet with farmers young and old to hear about how this cruel tax is impacting their livelihoods. Please rest assured that I will keep voicing my opposition to this vindictive policy and highlighting the harm that it is already causing.

Pushing for a National Grooming Gangs Inquiry

A second issue that has dominated my inbox this year is the Grooming Gangs scandal. I share your anger at the atrocities that were committed and at the covering up of abuse by local authorities. This anger is fully justified: it is not “jumping on a far-right bandwagon”, nor is it using a “dog whistle”, as the Prime Minister and his colleagues have termed it.

The systematic abuse of young girls by predominantly Asian men is an issue of national proportions, and as such, it requires a national inquiry. I was glad to see the Government come round to this opinion, however, I find it deeply worrying that it took six months of denials and a scathing audit by Baroness Casey to convince them that a national inquiry was necessary.

I sincerely hope that this inquiry will bring all those who perpetrated and covered up these crimes to justice. In the meantime, I will continue meeting with survivors and doing all I can to keep this issue on the agenda.

Saving Staffordshire’s Countryside

As the summer holidays begin, I am sure I am not the only one looking forward to making the most of our beautiful countryside. However, our green spaces are increasingly under threat from inappropriate developments, such as the proposed solar farms near Stowe-by-Chartley.

I attended a number of local meetings to voice my opposition to the solar farms, and in particular, highlighted my concerns that the clustering of such developments means that small villages such as Stowe-by-Chartley may soon find themselves encircled by solar panels. I have also questioned the Government on how they will ensure that any land used is returned to its original state once the solar farms have been decommissioned.

However, the fight for our countryside is just beginning. The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which many of you have expressed concern about, will only turbocharge the destruction of our green spaces. Going forward, I will work hard to make sure that local communities’ voices are heard in the planning process, and that our countryside can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Revitalising our High Streets

From Stone and Penkridge all the way down to Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay, high streets are the beating hearts of communities across Staffordshire. They also sustain livelihoods: for instance, the hospitality sector alone adds £68.6m to our local economy and creates 2,819 jobs. However, our local high streets are in danger.

Not only have they suffered from Labour’s increase to National Insurance Contributions and increases to the minimum wage, but they also face a drop in Business Rates Relief (BRR) from 75% to 40%. This has had a devastating effect: an estimated 17,000 high street businesses are expected to close this year, with independents making up the bulk of this figure.

Losing our high streets means losing jobs, community and civic identity. That’s why I held a debate in Parliament to highlight the negative impact of changes to BRR on businesses and scrutinised the Government on their lack of action to save our high streets. As the Government moves to replace the BRR system in its entirety, please rest assured that I will continue to do all I can to ensure that the British high street not just survives, but also thrives.

Protecting the Winter Fuel Payment

Finally, I know that the Government’s decision to slash Winter Fuel Payments for tens of thousands of pensioners across Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge caused great anxiety. I campaigned extensively against this policy in both Parliament and Staffordshire, and listened to many heartbreaking stories of pensioners choosing between heating and eating.

The decision to cut payments was a political choice: when the Government can afford to spend £30bn of taxpayer money on surrendering the Chagos Islands, and £16bn capitulating to the EU, it can certainly find £1.5bn to support society’s most vulnerable through the Winter.

While the Government should not have introduced this policy in the first place, I welcomed the Chancellor’s recent decision to partially restore payments. However, I would still like to see the cuts reversed in full, and I have written to the Chancellor to urge her to do so. My full letter can be read via the link below, and I will make sure to keep you updated.

https://url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/8bheC4QM7hJm5wz9IOf2h4Zllm?domain=facebook.com

In the meantime, my office and I have also been hard at work helping constituents with casework and other important matters. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any queries or issues you would like to raise - I can be reached by email at gavin.williamson.mp@parliament.uk, or you can phone my office on 01902 846616.