Column by Rugby's MP: Its not all party at conference

Indeed, to many people, party conference creates visions of one of two extremes. On one hand many think it is a dull and ponderous theatre of high politics. On the other many think it is just an extended party.

As the Labour Party once again descended on Liverpool, I can tell you my experience is something completely different.

I can honestly say that the mood was positive and optimistic, not least after the Prime Minister’s speech which set out that Labour will stand up for our values of decency and renewal, not division and decline under our opponents.

Party conference is also an excellent opportunity to get to the heart of issues and causes close to the heart of my constituents.

As many constituents know, helping young people get the best start in life is one of my top priorities.

At conference I was honoured to be able to take part in a youth panel, hosted by Full Fact, ShoutOut UK and UK Youth. The question time style format event fielded insightful questions from young people to several MPs, and most importantly they were on the panel with us!

I spoke about refocusing our country's attention on the next generation. For too long, we've structured our politics around those with the most economic and political power. Young people struggle to afford homes, face uncertain job prospects, and worry about their future, yet their voices are too often unheard.

I welcome the government’s new target that two-thirds of young people will participate in higher-level learning – whether academic, technical, or apprenticeships – by age 25.

Alongside this, we’ll see:

• 14 new Technical Excellence Colleges.
• Best Start Hubs for young families.
• Youth Hubs for employment and support.
• Free breakfast clubs.
• The return of maintenance grants by 2029 – supporting tens of thousands of lower-income students in priority courses.
• A Youth Guarantee, so that every young person on Universal Credit for 18 months without work or learning is guaranteed a paid job.

These are positive steps, and I commend the government’s work. The Chancellor’s speech made young people a focus, which is really great to see.

But honestly, I still fear that despite ministers caring and ‘getting it’ about the need to rebalance our system towards the voices and needs of young people, the overall system still prefers to carry on with the status quo in which their needs are overlooked.

We have an excellent minister responsible for ‘youth’, but this subject area is just one of her many responsibility areas.

That's why I'm proposing a specific Cabinet Minister for Younger and Future Generations. Their sole job would be to assess every policy and ask: how does this affect young people?

Wales already has a Future Generations Commissioner. We should follow their lead, and I have already written to the Prime Minister about this.

Lastly, I met with many of the charities that you, as constituents, asked me to visit at the conference.

I met with Alzheimer's Society – many of you wrote asking me to speak with them. I welcome the Government's investment in dementia research, including nearly £11 million for new digital approaches to timely detection and diagnosis.

I had productive discussions with Cancer Research UK and warmly welcome the Government's plan to publish a National Cancer Plan later this year, ensuring all patients have access to the best care and latest treatments.

Pancreatic Cancer UK highlighted an exciting new breath test that could save lives. The Government is funding the PANACEA study to develop breath tests for early detection of gastrointestinal cancers.

Finally, I spoke with Guide Dogs UK about pavement parking – an issue many of you raise regularly. It's a blight on our streets and makes pavements inaccessible for prams, disabled people and the elderly. Pebble the guide dog seemed to agree that people should park respectfully!

These meetings reinforced how important it is to bring your voices to these conversations. They have affected what I will do when I return to Parliament and what I fight for in our constituency.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to discuss any of these issues further.

Politicians have many roles. We must legislate, lead, and importantly, listen. Party conferences are a grand scale version of what I do every week – meet individuals, organisations, charities and companies to listen about their concerns, and their ideas about how we can improve our country. We’re only going to succeed if we work together and everyone takes their responsibility to play their part.

Let’s keep talking, listening, and leading in whichever sphere we are in.