It is a pleasure to follow the maiden speech of the hon. Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie). I was especially interested in his recollections of the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, which is also one of my early political memories, although I am obviously on the other side of the House as a result. I was interested in his reference to Monte Cassino, which might make sense later on in my speech.
I am incredibly grateful to the people of South West Devon, who put their trust in me on 4 July, electing me to serve them here in Parliament. Starting out in this place just a few short weeks ago, it was almost a quarter of a century to the day since I first set foot in Parliament. Forgive the cliché, but if someone had told the 18-year-old me, who was spending a week’s work experience with the MP for South West Devon, Sir Gary Streeter, that one day I would follow in his actual footsteps, I would not have believed them. Everybody I have met since entering this place who knew my predecessor tells me that I have big shoes to fill. For some, that might seem daunting. After all, he is a size 10 and I am a mere size 4. However, knowing Sir Gary as I do—in fact, having known him since we first met at a Kylie Minogue concert in 1991, where we both enjoyed her rendition of “The Loco-Motion”—I am honoured to follow in his footsteps and the legacy he has left.
After 32 years as a Member of Parliament, Sir Gary’s legacy is one of kindness, integrity and a deep commitment to the people of South West Devon. I know that there are Members on both sides of the House, past and present, who appreciated his wisdom over the years. It is something that he will tell you comes from his deep Christian faith. I am grateful that I still have access to that wisdom, given that he is now one of my constituents and that I also share his faith.
Unsurprisingly, although Sir Gary achieved a huge amount for our constituents, there are issues affecting South West Devon today; long-term battles that he fought and that remain in need of a victory. One such
issue relates to our Great Western Railway line through Devon. Today’s debate therefore provides the perfect opportunity to commit myself to the fight for a better railway service to the far reaches of Devon and the south-west.
Following the devastating floods at Dawlish in 2014, the previous Government did much to safeguard the line through Devon. The sight of a railway track suspended in mid-air with nothing between it and the sea is not easily forgotten. I will therefore be campaigning cross-party alongside colleagues to see the new Government commit to completing the remedial works at Dawlish. They must also ensure that forthcoming HS2 works at Old Oak Common in London do not hamper the progress made on our journey times between London and the south-west. The main line through Devon does not just take holidaymakers to our beautiful counties; it is vital for those who live and work there too.
The west side of Plymouth is served effectively by several small stations, but to the east, in my constituency, there are very few options for train travel between Plymouth and Totnes, some 30 minutes away. Indeed, the current level of service makes a mockery of the existing “Park and ride by train” that is advertised as people drive down the A38. I will therefore continue to fight for CrossCountry trains—not just Great Western Railway services—to call at Ivybridge station. As the population of that town and of nearby Sherford grows, having adequate access to mainline train services closer than Plymouth, Totnes—or, in some cases, Tiverton Parkway—is essential.
To see the full economic benefits of the Plymouth and south Devon freeport, with its key sites at Langage and Sherford, we must see the delivery of a metro railway linking Plymouth with Tavistock and Ivybridge, including a stop in Plympton. That would also enhance connectivity for the Dartmoor villages, which are now a welcome part of South West Devon following the recent parliamentary boundary changes. The previous Government’s plan to reopen the line between Plymouth and Tavistock is critical to delivering that metro service. I therefore call on the new Government to push forward with that proposal and enable us to get the metro scheme off the ground.
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I can only hope that the new Government are as committed to supporting those much-needed improvements in South West Devon as they are to the new legislation that we are hastily debating today: a Bill that seems to indicate ideological time travel back to the nationalised railway system of the past and a mistaken belief that state-run institutions are the answer to all our woes. Our railway system needs to drive forward into the middle of the 21st century, not creep backwards to the 1970s. In the case of South West Devon, that means the difference between reaching our full potential and missing the mark.
I would waste the opportunity to extol the virtues of South West Devon further if I left things there. Yes, transport is a big issue locally, whether that is about the need for a bus route between Plymstock and Plympton, cycle paths in the South Hams that do not require mountaineering experience to navigate, or improved junctions on and off the A38 at Lee Mill, but I hope I will be allowed just a few moments to introduce hon. Members more fully to South West Devon.
South West Devon has to be one of the most unique constituencies in the country. I challenge hon. Members to name another constituency anywhere with our combination of urban and rural moorland and coastal communities. It combines the city suburbs of Plymouth—the ancient stannary town of Plympton, and Plymstock, with its rich maritime history—with the rural South Hams and Dartmoor national park. We have the thriving town of Ivybridge, the inland and coastal villages and farms of the South Hams, the historic country estates of Flete and Maristow, the villages on the edge of the Tamar valley, and rugged Dartmoor farms and villages. South West Devon is home to the new town of Sherford, the soon-to-expand community of Woolwell and Royal Marines 42 Commando at Bickleigh barracks. There is so much history, so much beauty and so many wonderful and unique communities—indeed, too many to list here and be finished by the Adjournment, hon. Members will be pleased to hear.
Life has dealt me experiences that have turned into passions that I am determined to build on here in Parliament. I have spent the last six years working for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission—hence the comment on Monte Cassino. From travelling around the south-west, sharing the stories of the men and women of the Commonwealth, whom the commission commemorates across the world, I have developed a lifelong passion for this wonderful organisation and the importance of keeping alive the stories of those who fell. I know that all hon. Members have recently heard from the commission about those commemorated in their constituencies, and I encourage them to get in touch with their regional public engagement co-ordinator if they would like to know more.
When I was growing up, my parents, who are in the Gallery today, offered up their home as foster parents. That experience has left me with a deep interest in the care system and how we enable care-experienced young people to have the future they deserve. While there are those in this place with far more experience in the field than me, my interest spans over two decades, and I am determined to be a voice for those young people.
Finally, having started my elected career in local government, I bring with me experience of a range of issues including working to tackle violence against women and girls. Enabling women and girls to feel safe and be safe in their communities, and in my community in South West Devon, is a long-term challenge. Yet, having chaired the Plymouth violence against women and girls commission and seen the cross-party determination to deliver on it in this place, I believe that we will see the societal change that we fight for.
In 1919, Plymouth, which makes up a significant proportion of my constituency and is my home city, saw its Member of Parliament, Nancy Astor, become the first female to take a seat in the House of Commons. Since then, a female MP has represented at least a part of Plymouth for all but 11 years. The longest gap in female MPs was from 2017 to 2024. I am delighted to have brought an end to the drought, picking up the baton of Plymouth’s six former female MPs and also becoming the first woman in South West Devon. Nancy Astor herself said in her maiden speech just over 100 years ago:
“Hon. Members…should not be frightened of what Plymouth sends out into the world. After all, I suppose when Drake and Raleigh wanted to set out on their venturesome careers, some cautious
person said, ‘Do not do it; it has never been tried before…’ But, on the whole, the world is all the better for those venturesome and courageous west country people, and I would like to say that I am quite certain that the women of the whole world will not forget that it was the fighting men of Devon who dared to send the first woman to represent women in the Mother of Parliaments.”
—[Official Report, 24 February 1920; Vol. 125, c. 1624.]
Fortunately, I am venturing out from Plymouth in the well-worn footsteps of the women and men who have gone before me, buoyed by the courage of the people of South West Devon—men and women who voted to send me to this, the mother of all Parliaments, to fight for them and our special part of Devon.