Campaign Responses

Thank you for contacting me about the enforcement of horse welfare. As someone who has ridden horses all their life, I take a great interest in this subject.

I understand your concerns on this issue and I agree that there is no place in this country for animal cruelty. I want to make sure that those who abuse animals are met with the full force of the law.

It is a desperately sad situation and I do empathise with her husband Richard doing all he can to keep her plight in the public eye.

I completely understand what an incredibly emotive issue this is, and I appreciate the strength of feelings on both sides. It is for this reason that, as with other matters of conscience, the Government adopts a neutral stance on abortion, allowing Conservative MPs to vote freely according to their moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. This is a convention which I support wholeheartedly.

The BBC’s decision to stop funding free TV licences for all over 75s from June 2020 is very disappointing.

I share your concerns regarding the crisis in Yemen and the plight of the Yemeni people who are caught up in the conflict. I can assure you that the Government fully recognises the severity of the humanitarian crisis.

The Resources and Waste strategy, published last year, sets out plans to reduce plastic pollution with a target of eliminating all avoidable waste over the lifetime of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. The majority of aquatic litter originates from land based sources therefore I believe the best approach to stemming the flow of plastic is by taking action on land.

The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection. Between April 2014 and June 2017, the Home Office received 97,454 claims for asylum and decided over 64,000 of these within 6 months.

I fully believe in our NHS and its values, which is why I welcome that the Government have guaranteed that the NHS will always provide healthcare free at the point of delivery, regardless of ability to pay. While private providers do play a small role in improving the provision of health care, let me be abundantly clear: the Government will never privatise the NHS.