October 2026 Monthly Newsletter
Budget breathing space and hope for the future
The Budget aimed to give breathing space to families and businesses, addressed cost-of-living pressures and recognised international factors, including war in the Middle East.
The Chancellor announced the freezing of fuel duty and £150 in energy bill support for millions of households – while extending the VAT cut on electricity bills, removing Standing Charges from gas bills and cutting council tax.
For businesses, around 70,000 more retail, hospitality and leisure business are being taken out of business rates altogether, giving 25% off electricity bills to eligible industrial businesses and introducing a new founder’s relief to encourage a new wave of innovative enterprises. This extra help will be financed by taxing banks and the gambling industry.
The other main theme of the Budget was creating hope for the future. There were a range of measures for driving growth in every postcode and reforming energy, housing and national security for the long term.
We are currently discussing with businesses around the Humber some of the announcements in the Budget and what they will mean for the future development of green energy initiatives and projects such as hydrogen and carbon capture.
A range of new devolved powers over tax for Mayoral Combined Authorities were announced that included Hull and East Yorkshire. This also provides a major regeneration opportunity for our region.
The Budget can be studied in detail at Budget 2026 (HTML) - GOV.UK
Advice on the Cost of Living
Building on the positive feedback after my Cost-of-Living event that I held in Orchard Park last Autumn, I spent a busy Friday morning at the Oasis Hub on Newland Avenue hosting another drop-in event assisting constituents with a range of cost-of-living issues as they face the challenges of the Winter months.
I was pleased to bring together over 20 local charities and organisations to provide free support, guidance and advice to constituents on issues such as benefits, housing and energy costs.
Tackling anti-social behaviour
I have been working with Cllr Shane McMurray on tackling anti-social behaviour in Central Ward, and we brought together Humberside Police and Hull City Council to discuss residents’ concerns and what else we can do to ensure that residents feel safe and secure in their neighbourhood.
Our high streets, parks and public spaces should be places everyone in our community can enjoy and in October Respect Orders came into force after I took them through Parliament as Policing Minister in 2025. These give police and local authorities stronger powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, hold offenders accountable and help address its underlying causes. We just need to ensure that these new powers are used to the best effect in our area.
Ditch the Diesel
In October, Emma Hardy MP and I wrote to local rail operators encouraging them to follow the recent £1bn TransPennine Express announcement of new state-of-the-art electric trains for the 2030s – see https://x.com/DianaJohnsonMP/status/2112186017855820134.
Ditching expensive and polluting diesel from the rail industry and replacing with battery-electric trains, will achieve the vital increase in rail network capacity across Northern England. We can then work with industry stakeholders to improve connectivity in the frequency of train services from Hull to destinations such as Manchester Airport and Liverpool.
On 16 November, it will be ten years since Hull was left out in the cold when the then Government partners blocked our £100m privately-financed Hull rail electrification scheme. In contrast, we can now build upon our Government’s recent £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement and our key task now is to keep encouraging the sort of infrastructure investment for the North that Londoners have taken for granted for decades.
Health challenges around Hull
My recent survey of Hull North and Cottingham constituents seeking their views of local NHS services showed that, despite the extra investment made over the past two years, there are continuing challenges to ensure that people in Hull and the East Riding see improvement locally, particularly at the local hospitals.
Healthy debate
In October, I answered Health questions in the Commons. This included one from Dr Allison Gardner MP on medical misogyny in which I made it clear that the Labour Government is determined to tackle the issue in the revised Women's Health Strategy. You can watch back the session here: Parliamentlive.tv - House of Commons.
Prostate cancer screening
I responded on behalf of the Government in a debate on prostate cancer screening. Around 68,000 men are diagnosed with the disease each year and the Government is determined to improve outcomes for men.
In June the Government announced that men who carry the BRCA2 gene variant and have a family history of prostate, breast, pancreatic or ovarian cancer will be offered a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test every two years between the ages of 45 and 61. The programme will be rolled out in 2027. You can watch the session here: Parliamentlive.tv - Westminster Hall.
During the month, I also responded for the Government in Parliamentary debates on creating a smoke-free generation, on the previous Government response to the COVID pandemic, another on 24/7 helipads at major trauma centres and on the scandal of sodium valproate.
The Italian job
I represented the UK Government at a meeting of the European Coalition on the Control of Drugs in Italy. It was held near Rimini, opened by Prime Minister Meloni and attended by representatives from around Europe - sharing their experiences of treatment and the prevention of drug use.
Giving blood
I spoke at the NHS Blood and Transplant event in Parliament, meeting patients whose lives have been saved by plasma donations and a fantastic team of clinicians who work so hard to promote life-saving treatments. If you are able to give blood, please consider doing so. Details can be found here https://www.blood.co.uk/.
Remembering
During October, I attended the Annual Service of Remembrance at St Botolph’s in Bishopsgate for those who died as a result of being given infected blood products in the 1970s and 1980s - a cause in which I have long taken a close interest. As ever, it was a very moving event.
Wearing it Pink
Just after I turned 50 I had my first mammogram and was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Attending that screening appointment potentially saved my life. I had no indication anything was wrong. Please don’t put off your breast screening appointment and take the time to get to know what is normal for you. If you notice any unusual changes, don’t ignore them.
Due to what happened to me and the constituents who have contacted me with their stories, I was pleased to join Breast Cancer Now in Parliament to support Wear It Pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, hear about their important research and how they support those affected by breast cancer.
Let’s stand together to support this important campaign. You can find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/.../nhs-breast-screening-helping-you...
Catering for young people
There were a number of policy announcements at Westminster this month.
In Hull we have too many young people not in employment, training or education. Getting that first job can help build confidence, skills and experience as a young person takes their first steps into work. That’s why the Government is partnering with UK Hospitality to create 100,000 new paid jobs for young people at businesses across the sector.
This forms part of the wider drive to tackle youth unemployment, backed by £2.5 bn investment in the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. I expect further developments in this area after the Milburn review reports shortly. Find out more here: Britain's biggest hospitality brands partner with Government to deliver 100,000 jobs for NEET young people - GOV.UK.
More than cosmetic change
Cosmetic treatments have become hugely popular, but the rules haven't kept up. Too often, people with little or no training are carrying out invasive procedures in unsafe places, and the results can be devastating.
The Government has proposed a series of changes that include procedures involving dermal fillers being classed as surgery only to done by qualified doctor; high-risk treatments like deep chemical peels and some laser procedures also being restricted to qualified healthcare professionals; banning under-18s from cosmetic surgery and high-risk procedures; and seeing rogue operators facing unlimited fines and criminal sanctions.
The Government wants to hear from patients, practitioners and businesses before the rules go before Parliament. Have your say here: https://consultations.dhsc.gov.uk/restrictions-on-the...
Constituents visit Parliament
I welcomed constituents from the Bora Shabaa Refugee Community Organisation to Parliament recently, with huge thanks to Hull Trains for supporting the visit. As ever, if you would like to visit me in Parliament, please do let me know that you are coming. I will always do my best to greet you and ensure that there is someone to show you around.
Meeting Julia Gillard
It was a pleasure to meet former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard. Joining other parliamentarians, we discussed a range of topics including reducing violence against women and girls and growing future leaders in our local communities.
