I hope everyone had a peaceful Easter break.

Parliament was in recess for the duration, so it was wonderful to spend more time in Newport West and Islwyn campaigning alongside Labour Party members.

We’ve seen several encouraging polls released in recent weeks and that should give us all heart but I must urge you not to take our support for granted. We must continue to work hard here and in our nearby target seats to earn that much-needed UK Labour victory.

Last month, we welcomed Vaughan Gething as the new first minister in Wales and paid tribute to Mark Drakeford for five dedicated years of service in the role.

The situation in Westminster continues to be exceedingly bizarre. All anyone can talk about at any given point, be that in the media or in the corridors of Parliament, are the incessant rumours of when the General Election will finally be called.

In the House of Commons, I was pleased to speak in support of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill from the Labour frontbench. Banning the import of animal trophies into the UK is something that has widespread support both in the country and across parties in Parliament.

The current UK Government has indicated support for the measure at various stages but refused to act. If they can’t get it over the line in this Parliament, the next UK Labour Government will.

Before we broke up for Easter recess, I was pleased to meet with representatives from Transport for Wales and Network Rail to discuss issues facing our railways and the campaign to reopen Caerleon station.

As anyone who has used the trains in recent months will know, it’s clear there are a multitude of challenges facing passengers and staff alike.

One of the wettest years on record, coupled with the systemic underfunding of railway infrastructure, has culminated in absolute chaos on the mainlines.

I’m sympathetic of TfW’s efforts to overhaul a system that was neglected by the previous operator, but the customer experience for many has been incredibly poor.

There are green shoots of progress and many new trains already on lines, or on the way, but the proof of any improvement will be found in ridership numbers and customer satisfaction.

It’s clear that reform will also be needed at a UK Government level and I’ll be working with my colleague and friend Lou Haigh to ensure we do more to support public transport infrastructure.

We have also been working hard to support Councillor Jane Mudd as she aims to become the first woman police and crime commissioner for Gwent following the election on 2 May.

As leader of Newport City Council and community safety spokesperson for the Welsh Local Government Association, Jane knows the importance of public confidence and will continue to build links between communities and the police.

The PCC election is on Thursday, 2 May.

Best wishes / Cofion cynnes,