MP Newsletter #10: Trump's tariffs, Avonleigh Orchard, and rail services

Dear reader,

A very warm welcome to this latest edition of my newsletter. I hope you’ve been enjoying the fine weather as much as I have.

It’s been a busy few weeks as always and I’ve given a bit of a snapshot of that below. Of course, if there are particular issues in your local area that you’d like me to be aware of please do get in touch via the details below.

As ever, I welcome all feedback and comments about this newsletter, and I want to make sure that it is as useful as it can be for my constituents. If you have any suggestions, comments or feedback please do feel free to email me at brian.mathew.mp@parliament.uk. A reminder that you can also contact my office on 01225 434216, and please do get in touch via phone or email to book a surgery appointment. These take place at regular intervals at different villages and towns across the constituency and we will do our very best to fit you in at the one which suits you best.

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Please do also forward this newsletter along to friends, family, neighbours etc if you feel it would be useful for them too. They can also sign up to receive these emails here.

Trump’s tariffs

It seems that not a week, or even a day, can go by at the moment without us all feeling the ripples from another one of Trump’s stones lobbed into global affairs.

The last few weeks have seen the UK clobbered with a 10% tariff from the Trump administration. While this is lower than many other countries, I want to see the UK government stand up to Trump. Tariffs on the UK have the potential to affect all of us here in our day to day lives, potentially threatening UK jobs and living standards at a time when we all know the cost of living is a serious concern for so many already.

We need to end this trade war as quickly as possible – and that means standing tough with our allies against Donald Trump’s bullying.

The Prime Minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.

If the Government gives in to Trump's threats, it will only encourage him to use the same bullying tactics again and again. Trump’s tariffs make it even more urgent for the Government to negotiate a better trade deal with our European neighbours, with the aim of a new customs union by 2030, as the Liberal Democrats have been calling for.

Now, what can we all do in the face of this? One simple way we can all play our part is to buy British wherever possible.

Buy British

In response to the Trump tariffs, I’m backing the Liberal Democrat campaign to ‘Back local, Buy British’ to support local businesses. I’m encouraging people to back independent businesses, local producers, and high street shops facing disruption from Trump’s trade policies.

I’m also urging the Government to step up with immediate measures to protect businesses and jobs, including scrapping the jobs tax and overhauling business rates. Wiltshire farmers are particularly concerned after reports in The Times revealed that the UK Government is considering slashing tariffs on US beef, chicken, and pork in a proposed deal with Trump. This move risks undercutting British farmers yet again, following the damaging trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand.

People here in Melksham and Devizes are deeply concerned about the impact that Donald Trump’s disastrous trade war could have on our living standards and local businesses. That is why I am supporting this campaign, to encourage people to play their part in supporting our fantastic local businesses and high street shops at this difficult time.

As Lib Dems, we are also calling on the Government to:

Scrap the jobs tax, which will hit businesses in the coming days,
Overhaul the broken business rates system to give high streets and manufacturers the breathing space they need to grow.

Recent times have certainly felt quite overwhelming on the world stage, but by making small changes and backing our local businesses we all have the ability to make sure that Melksham, Devizes, Bradford on Avon and our neighbouring Wiltshire market towns, remain resilient to these global pressures.

School visit

One of the real highlights of being an MP is welcoming constituents to Westminster, showing them around the place and helping to answer their questions. This is even more of a joy, and frankly vital for the future of our democracy, when I get to welcome our local school children.

This week it was lovely to meet with pupils from Colerne Primary School and the Manor Primary School from Melksham. They had a tour of the Houses of Parliament and then had the chance to ask me their questions. We chatted about optimum places to sit in the commons, why I became and MP and how early you can get started in politics. Hopefully, I was able to inspire a few of the politicians of tomorrow!

Brian Mathew with Colerne Primary School in Westminster

Terminally ill adults (end of Life) Bill

The Terminally Ill Adults Bill is due back in the commons on April 25th for its report stage, and there will likely be a vote.

As many of you will know this is a ‘free vote’, meaning MPs are not whipped or given a party-political line to take. At the second reading stage back in November I voted in favour of progressing the bill. I will continue to weigh up the evidence and engage with constituents on this issue in the run up to the next potential vote later this month.

I know many of you have written to me to express opinions and comments on both sides of this debate, and I can promise you that I am considering this with as much seriousness as such a potentially momentous change in law deserves.

Avonleigh Orchards

Last week I took some time to visit Avonleigh Orchards on the outskirts of Bradford on Avon. The visit was arranged following correspondence from constituents about concerns over issues arising from the ongoing erection of a steel fabrication plant adjacent to their land.

It was a useful morning and it was good to meet the owner and volunteers at the orchards. In the coming weeks I will also be meeting with the owners of the adjacent site to hear their viewpoint and concerns too.

Following this, I hope that we’ll be able to find an amicable solution to this issue. I will keep you updated via this newsletter and social media as always.

Brian Mathew with Ian Thorn and owner of Avonleigh Orchards

Rail services

I’m an avid rail user and spend a lot of my time these days shuttling up and back between London and Wiltshire while catching up on casework.

Rail services in our area are in a reasonable state, but we know they could be improved in so many ways. In that spirit, it was good to meet with Great Western Railway (GWR) in Westminster recently to discuss rail services in our constituency.

I also invited Graham and Richard from the West Wilts Rail Users Group to meet with GWR alongside me. We had a good conversation, and I found the GWR representatives to be serious and engaged with the topics on hand.

We discussed the need to get the potential Devizes Parkway station progressing, improving the frequency of services at Melksham and improving the stock and number of carriages on the Bradford on Avon to Bath route. I know that many of you will rely on our railways for commuting, and I will continue to make our rail service a key priority.