Exeter MP reflects on first full year and sets priorities for 2026

This has been my first full year as Exeter’s Member of Parliament, and looking back I’m proud to have worked with so many organisations and residents to make our city an even better place to live.

I’ve had the real honour of visiting dozens of groups, nearly all of our schools, and supporting hundreds of individuals with casework alongside my team.

Here in Exeter, we’ve secured important new funding for public services that is already starting to make a difference. Waiting lists at the RDUH are coming down, and the first breakfast clubs and early years centres have opened in primary schools across the city.

We’ve also received new capital investment for primary school buildings, the college, and the University — ensuring Exeter continues to offer the very best start in life for our young people.

A highlight of my work this year has been the progress on a policy change inspired by research here in Exeter.

In the year since I tabled my Private Members’ Bill to phase out the use of animals in medical research where possible, the government has now adopted this approach and published a comprehensive national strategy to replace animal testing with advanced human-relevant science.

Launched by Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance and backed by around £75 million, the strategy accelerates investment in technologies such as organ-on-a-chip systems, AI-driven modelling, and 3D-bioprinted human tissues.

It sets a path to phase out most animal experiments within the next decade. Exeter’s own research community — from the RDUH and the University of Exeter through the RILD Centre — has played a central role in developing and piloting these approaches, supported by Animal Free Research, an organisation I’ve been proud to work closely with.

For many of my constituents, this is a deeply personal issue.

It reflects Exeter’s values as a community of animal lovers, but it also marks a major leap forward in scientific innovation that will deliver better outcomes for people and animals alike, and puts our city at the forefront of this important work.

But 2025 has also been a year of confronting one of Exeter’s most urgent challenges: homelessness.

Across Devon, far too many people still lack secure housing, and Exeter continues to have one of the highest levels of rough sleeping in the South West. In Parliament, I have pressed for long-term clarity on homelessness funding and raised serious concerns about reductions in prevention services by Devon County Council.

I welcomed the additional £500,000 for Exeter through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant — taking our total to £1.8 million — but made clear that sustainable, stable funding must be part of the long-term solution.

I also contributed to the new National Plan to End Homelessness, which will halve rough sleeping and strengthen prevention, backed by £3.5 billion over three years — a 50% increase.

My priority for 2026 will be ensuring this strategy delivers for Exeter, and that national policy enables local action.

As we head into 2026, I want to thank the people of Exeter. Every week I meet residents, business owners, and community leaders whose resilience, compassion, and commitment to fairness make our city what it is. Knocking on doors every Saturday and speaking with hundreds of you remains one of the best parts of my job.

I’m grateful every day for the privilege of serving this fantastic city.

I hope 2026 will be a year of building on our progress, facing challenges with purpose, and ensuring Exeter remains a place where everyone can thrive.