GRAHAM LEADBITTER: Time will tell whether Labour can turn things around
To say that being the member of parliament for this constituency is a privilege is a massive understatement.
My election in July is something I’ll forever be grateful to the electorate of Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey for.
But every new MP will tell you that the celebrations of a campaign win are brief - because there is an enormous amount of work to do.
Most people’s understanding of the work of an MP will be hundreds of us sitting in an overcrowded chamber listening to the speeches and roars of the House of Commons.
However, two months in and that has only been a small part of it for me as parliamentary recess has meant a constituency focus.
The pomp and ceremony that the UK Parliament is both famous and infamous for may be paused - but that doesn’t mean the work stops.
I sought election to parliament to represent the people of this constituency, and while that does mean regularly travelling the 600 miles away to Westminster to do so, this recess allows time to connect with people and communities here.
Over a packed summer I’ve seen many parts of the constituency multiple times, at events like Newtonmore Games, Grantown Show, Grant Park 100, Nairn Games, MacMoray Festival, Forres Games and Thunder in the Glens.
I’ve held meetings with MFR Cash For Kids, with distillers, various businesses, Cantraybridge College, Nairn CAB and others. I’ve also offered surgeries in Nairn, Aviemore, Forres, Elgin, and Grantown.
A constituency as vast and diverse as this comes with a massive variety of unique issues, and community engagement like this is vital for finding out what’s important to different people in different areas.
The election didn’t just send me to parliament, it elected a new government across the UK, finally dispensing with the Tories who caused so much harm to communities, and it’s their legacy that is brought up most.
Inflation, rising energy bills, cost of living, challenges for businesses from Brexit - their shocking legacy is what comes up most on my travels.
People desperately want change from the status quo that has hurt places like this for close to two decades now.
People are simply fed up seeing their living standards drop and their incomes squeezed.
Time will tell whether Labour can turn things around and make a positive impact on people’s lives and my SNP colleagues and I will support change that is right for our communities, but they’ve made a grim start by cutting funding for the Winter Fuel Allowance, a support that is especially important in the north of Scotland.
Folk will be eager to see what is discussed in Parliament to improve things.
This summer has been a time for me to connect and listen as your new MP but when Parliament returns it’ll be time for me to challenge the new Government and to raise the priorities people have brought up with me - to campaign for lower energy bills and an end to the cost of living crisis, to be a voice and a champion for this constituency.
When I was elected I made a commitment to work for everyone in every part of Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey - that’s a commitment I’ll keep.
Graham Leadbitter (SNP) is MSP for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey.
