Column: A busy start to 2026 for Minehad MP Rachel Gilmour

The world is changing at breakneck speed.

Global events over the last few days have made it feel as if we have entered a new epoch.

Here in the UK, we have a government which is directionless, out of ideas, chasing its own tail: bereft of vim and vigour.

Our community in Tiverton and Minehead is a resilient one.

I entered politics to make a difference.

Not to grandstand, to score cheap political points or seek to mislead.

I have endeavoured to be as constructive as possible in my opposition to this government; working with those of different political stripes.

This gets results which is what really matters to my constituents.

I have been working with rural Labour MPs since the Budget in 2024.

Many of them did not vote for their own government’s rural policies.

Just before Christmas, the government announced its changes to Agricultural Property Relief plans.

It does not go far enough, and I will not relent until this wrong-headed policy is scrapped – entirely.

In December I was delighted to be elected co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Farming.

Be in no doubt about my determination to get the best deal for my farmers.

My position on the Farming APPG gives me a platform to be even more vocal in standing up for our rural communities.

This government has lost sight of a simple truth: our farmers provide our food.

By hammering farmers, it risks harming the food security of the nation.

I will go on pressing health ministers at every turn - catching them in Westminster corridors and lifts if I must - on the issues that matter to you.

We need more GPs and more dental provision.

By the time you read this, the new pharmacy in Market Place, Tiverton, will have opened.

We must continue our efforts to increase pharmacy services, particularly in Tiverton.

We have a large elderly population across Tiverton and Minehead.

This brings wisdom but also greater health challenges.

With sustained political will and the brilliance of science, this is a battle we can win.

Tiverton High School has been hung out to dry by successive governments.

I had a productive meeting with DfE officials just before Christmas.

The DfE have appointed a Project Manager for the THS project who regularly updates me.

All eyes are on how this government will fund SEND.

My meetings with local parents, teachers and providers have been an excellent knowledge platform for meetings with Ministers and civil servants.

I am acutely aware of the fact that the state of local transport is linked to many other issues.

The B3191 is a concern that I have been raising with the Department for Transport since before my election in 2024.

I also take every opportunity to access inward investment into West Somerset to resolve this impasse.

Buses across the patch have run wholly unsatisfactory services for too long.

First Bus’s undertaking to improve the Number 25 and 28 buses is welcome.

Remember to fill in the feedback form on my website to help make this happen!

Discussions around the linking of the West Somerset Railway to the mainline in Taunton remain positive.

This would transform the local economy, bringing more jobs and more tourism to the area.

Brilliant businesses across Tiverton and Minehead have been hit hard by this government’s disastrous decisions on business rates and NI hikes.

Taxing businesses into oblivion is anti-growth.

Please sign my petition at rachelgilmour.org.uk/campaigns/business-rates-relief-for-hospitality calling on the government to row back on its decision to remove business rates relief.

These are but a few of the issues I have been and will continue to press HMG on.

Keep working with me.

Together we can deliver for our community.