By Cornwall Councillor Kate Ewert (Labour), Rame Peninsula & St Germans Division

As 2024 unfolds, the political landscape hints at potential shifts, marked by an impending General Election and the Police and Crime Commissioner election. The timing of the GE remains elusive, subject to the whim of the current Prime Minister.

We have spoken to thousands of residents across the constituency over the last 18 months, and we are getting the same message over and over: they want change, and they want hope for our corner of Cornwall.

The issues that come up most when we are talking to people won’t be a surprise to anyone. Stories of unbearable waits for hospital treatment, of children waiting too long for mental health support, a lack of housing that is within the reach of people here, and last, but by no means least, the impossibility of accessing an NHS dentist. The Labour Party has a plan for all these issues – but we know that they won’t be delivered overnight, such is the perilous state of the country at the moment. We would end the scandal of the non-dom tax loophole, raising an amount in the region of £3.2billion, which will pay for reform in the NHS. We would have mental health services available in every school and guaranteed appointments for all within a month of referral. We would provide an extra 700,000 urgent dentist appointments and reform the NHS dental contract, as part of a package of measures to rescue NHS dentistry. We would unlock the potential for proper, affordable social housing to be built, with new powers to force developers to deliver the affordable houses they are meant to.

The polls look positive for Labour currently, and recently it has been reported that rural voters are more likely to back Labour than the Tories. But we are not complacent, and we will work for every single vote and continue to prove that we can be trusted with it. The Labour Party would deliver a mission-led Government, working for the people of this country and for Britain’s future – a change that is so desperately needed by so many here in South East Cornwall.

Historically, voters here have returned Tory or Liberal MPs. That picture has changed over the past 14 years, with the Liberal vote collapsing from 19,170 in 2010 to 8,650 in 2019, while the Tories have consistently failed the people of SE Cornwall. The Labour Party came second here in the 2017 and 2019 General Elections (source: electionresults.parliament.uk) and, according to independent polls, is currently a clear 10 points ahead of the Lib-Dems in this seat. Let’s make history by electing the first ever Labour MP for South East Cornwall.

You can read more about our missions by visiting https://labour.org.uk/missions/