Last month we had the first Budget from a UK Labour government in 14 years – and the first-ever from a woman Chancellor.

Wales has waited a long time for a Budget which delivers for communities like ours in Newport West and Islwyn and finally we got one.

Working people have paid a heavy price for Tory decline over the past 14 years and that is why we are ruling out any increases in their National Insurance, income tax or VAT.

Our Employment Rights Bill will empower employees so they have basic rights like sick pay and parental leave from day one on the job.

And from April, thousands of the lowest paid workers in Newport West and Islwyn will get a pay rise after we lifted the minimum wage for apprentices, over-18s and over-21s.

We are giving our partners in the Welsh Labour Government the biggest boost to their funding since devolution began and they will put those resources to cutting NHS waiting lists and delivering the public services our communities deserve.

As I said in the Chamber after the Budget, politics is about choices. We have chosen to be honest with the electorate, both about the size of the problems we inherited and the amount of work needed to fix them.

But make no mistake – the work of change is under way and families in Newport West and Islwyn will be better off for it.

In October I hosted a meeting of elected representatives from across the constituency including Senedd members, councillors and council leaders from Newport and Caerphilly.

We met in Cwmcarn Forest Drive where we heard from the site’s general manager about their partnership with Natural Resources Wales and plans to enhance the forest with private investment.

We spoke about Labour’s national missions and what achieving them looks like in Newport West and Islwyn – a growing economy, cheaper and cleaner energy, a fitter NHS, safer streets and opportunities for families to thrive.

In Newport, I joined thousands for the Newport Rising march as we remembered the Chartists who came down from the Gwent Valleys and gave their lives for democracy. I was also privileged to speak at the Chartist Commemoration, where we laid flowers on the Chartist Memorial Stone at Newport Cathedral.

I have also been taking part in a number of services for Remembrance Day, like the launch of the Gwent Poppy Appeal in Blackwood, and planting a cross in Parliament.

Over the weekend, I will be attending more events to pay my respects to those in Newport West and Islwyn who sacrificed so much in the name of a better future.

To see more of my work in the constituency and Westminster, visit my pages on Facebook, Instagram or X.