Aside from all being fabulous, we’re united in backing the campaign to #SaveRotaryWood 🌳
The planning meeting is TODAY at 2pm at Harrogate Civic Centre. Join the peaceful protest and stand with 1,000+ residents opposing the expansion of Danone’s plastic water bottling plant.
… how academics and researchers can best present evidence to have real impact on policy.
They are doing fantastic work to bridge the gap between research and policymaking, and very much enjoyed the opportunity to present.
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It was a pleasure to speak today with the Policy Academy Fellows at the York Policy Engine, University of York.
We had a great discussion about how Parliament works in practice, from its structures & governance to the realities of working with Members in both Houses, and…
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I reckon she’d proper an love afternoon tea at Bettys and the Turkish Baths. I’ve suggested it for the hen do.
We’d have to set up a process for actually giving people the keys to the towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough, as I’m not sure they exist, but that’s minor detail.
“I just think it would be really nice.”
Out knocking on doors around Oatlands this evening, and had some really lovely conversations along the way.
A recurring theme? Residents are outraged that their Conservative councillor defected to Reform.
Door after door of people saying our town doesn’t stand for that sort of divisive politics.
🔶 Great to be out knocking on doors in Harrogate this evening.
📋 Lots of issues discussed - from pavement parking and potholes to Donald Trump and the conflict in the Middle East.
🔶 One of my jobs before becoming an MP was working in health economics research at the University of York, so it was a real pleasure to be back on campus last night - speaking and taking questions with the University of York Lib Dem Society.
At #LDconf in #York. #Harrogate LibDem MP @tomgordonld.bsky.social is handing out "fat rascals" to the audience. #Food #Yorkshire #LiberalDemocrats
🔶 Great to welcome Ed Davey back to Yorkshire for Lib Dem Spring Conference
🗳️ With Lib Dems out campaigning across England, Scotland and Wales, we’ve drafted in some extra help.
🦙 Don’t worry, Ed… alpaca the conference hall.
⚖️ I voted against Labour’s Courts & Tribunals Bill.
👩⚖️ Jury trials have been a cornerstone of our justice system for centuries.
❌ These proposals would cut the number of jury trials without tackling the Crown Court backlog, risking further delays to justice for victims.
Indeed! Did both my undergrad and masters there!
📚 Student loans were designed to make higher education accessible to all not burden graduates for decades after.
🖊️ That is why I have tabled a Parliamentary motion pressing the Government to rethink these changes and move towards a fairer, more proportionate approach.
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📈graduates are repaying earlier in their careers, reducing take-home pay at a time when housing costs, childcare and everyday bills are already stretching finances. This is no longer a manageable repayment system but a tax on aspiration.
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🎓In recent years we’ve seen significant changes to the system including the freezing of repayment thresholds & continuous changes to terms & conditions, something no other lender would be permitted to do.
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📺 Catch me on today’s episode of BBC Politics North across Yorkshire and the Humber.
👇 We’re talking about:
🥀 whether the PM will go, and the mess the Labour Party is in
🗳️ looking ahead to the local elections
🚛 the need for better facilities for HGV drivers
Thanks Dawn - hope you managed to make the most of the nice weather today too 🧡
☀️ I don’t know about anyone else, but I so needed the blue sky and sun today.
🐶 So many smiling faces and people out making the most of it.
🏃♂️ Lovely half marathon, my first long run since my hospital stay.
🍳 Followed by refuelling at The Saints.
🔶 Great to be out helping my mum and the Lib Dem team in Knottingley & Ferrybridge yesterday - managed to squeeze in a roast dinner too.
👏 Three fantastic women on the ballot paper there this May. Let’s get them elected.
👏 Out knocking on doors in Harrogate last night. Lots of lovely conversations and well wishes.
🔶 Get involved, join our growing winning team, and help make a positive difference to our towns:
libdems.org.uk/join-local
What does give me hope is the strength of our local community. Over the years, residents, councillors, and groups like the Pinewoods Conservation Group have come together to build a proper, grassroots, community-led campaign.
I’ll continue to work alongside them.
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This feels like a David vs Goliath situation: a huge foreign multinational on one side, and local residents on the other - the people who will have to live with the consequences of our natural resources being exploited for private profit.
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🌲 Rotary Wood Update👇
It’s disappointing that the Secretary of State has chosen not to call in Danone’s planning application.
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Thank you 🙏
And finally, a big thank you to the brilliant team in my office for keeping everything ticking over while I was forced to take a short step back. I’m on the mend now, and looking forward to getting fully back up to speed.
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I’m incredibly grateful to the healthcare staff who’ve looked after me with such care and kindness during this hospital stay. Our NHS isn’t perfect, but we’re incredibly lucky to have it.
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I’ve mentioned before that I live with UC, but not always what that actually means day to day. I’ll spare you the graphic detail, but there are days when I have to slow right down or even stop, even though I’m very much the sort of person who wants to keep going and be everywhere at once.
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Until now it’s mostly been manageable, and I’ve been lucky not to end up in hospital. But this recent flare up, triggered by a gut infection, really knocked me for six. I’ve been out of action for over a week, a reminder of how unpredictable living with a chronic condition can be.
2/5
Living with ulcerative colitis is something that takes a real toll on my life. It took me over a decade to get a diagnosis, and even since then it’s often been a struggle to get the right IBD care. It’s something I’m going to try and talk about more.
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