Off the Fence column with Dame Caroline Dinenage, MP for Gosport: What’s on the cards for 2026 in Parliament?

The New Year has heralded Labour’s twelfth U-Turn, over business rates for pubs. This is welcome amid concerns that some of our locals, including Gosport’s Pub of the Year, the Windsor Castle, would see a 140% increase in business rates from April without some kind of emergency U-turn.

Thankfully reports are suggesting that the Government is taking a different tack, with pub-specific support expected. But that won’t be any comfort to hotels, music venues, cinemas and all the other businesses, vital to our high streets, who have been hung out to dry by the Chancellor.

This year we will find out more about David Lammy’s plans to reform our justice system. So far we know that he intends to restrict the long-standing right to a trial by jury. Juries deliver balanced and rounded decisions and are held up across the world as an example of British democratic ideals. I will be looking for evidence that this will reduce the backlog in the criminal justice system - while maintaining trust. Just last week in the House of Commons I raised the high proportion of trials that do not go ahead due to administrative errors by the CPS. The Government would do better to reform that system rather than removing the British right to a jury trial.

We are expecting the Government to announce changes to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) regime. The Gosport Constituency has a higher than average proportion of children with additional needs and it is important that any reforms leave them and their families feeling better supported.

As Chair of the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce I’ve been involved in compiling the Children’s Chapter of the Government’s upcoming 10-Year Cancer Plan, which is due shortly. I hope that the Plan will make a meaningful difference for children with cancer and their families. My work with Charlotte Fairall from Sophie’s Legacy over recent years has taught me the scale of improvements that are needed.

Later this month the House of Commons will be given the opportunity to debate Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. Many local people signed the petition opposing this Bill which will drag veterans through the courts whilst IRA terrorists walk free. I’ll be voting against it as it passes through Parliament.

If you want to keep up with everything that I’m doing in Parliament over the next year, you can subscribe to my newsletter at www.caroline4gosport.co.uk/newsletters.