2026: Week 11 - Heating Oil, Palantir and Cardiology win!

I began last week with a critical call about heating oil, a topic dominating my postbag as constituents' heating oil bills have soared since the conflict in Iran.

It is completely unacceptable that 16.8% of households in Newton Abbot are left high and dry, excluded from the Ofgem energy price cap. The Government should urgently include heating oil in the price cap scheme to shield families from these unaffordable spikes. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a three-month zero-rating of VAT on heating oil and free insulation for low-income homes to make them cheaper to heat long-term.

The government has now announced £53 million in emergency support for households affected by heating oil prices. But this £53 million is a start, and is not sufficient to finish the job. We need action today, not a temporary promise. People are struggling now.

It is time for a real solution: a mandatory price cap on heating oil and LPG. Devon's rural families deserve the same protection as everyone else. The Prime Minister admits bad actors are profiting from this crisis. We will not stand by while constituents pay the price. 

In the middle of the week, I was lucky enough to be selected for a Prime Minister's Question. I used my slot to challenge the Prime Minister on the future of British technology.

With the government announcing £2 billion for AI and Quantum, we have a massive opportunity. But funding is only half the battle. We need to stop handing critical contracts for our NHS, Defence, and Policing to politically motivated overseas giants like Palantir.

I have worked in the tech industry for 30 years, and I know that if we want a truly "Sovereign AI" that works for the UK, we must use government procurement to back our own home-grown startups. The Prime Minister agreed that procurement should be a "launchpad" for British business. Now, I will be holding them to that to ensure our tax-payer money supports UK innovation, not Silicon Valley billionaires.

At the end of the week, we received the great news that Devon Health Bosses (ICB) have officially scrapped their ‘Case for Change’ plans to move Torbay’s Cardiology Unit to Exeter.

These proposals were misguided from the outset. Moving life-saving procedures further away from Torbay and South Devon residents would have cost vital time in critical situations. This is a huge win for our community, for the clinicians at Torbay Hospital, and for 'The Heart Campaign' who fought alongside me, Steve Darling MP, and Caroline Voaden MP to protect our local services.

The ICB will now move forward with a broader investigation and a proper engagement plan. I am pleased they are finally listening to the community, and I will be pushing to ensure our local cottage hospitals are part of the future framework for care. Our hospital deserves support and investment, not the stripping away of its world-class services.

As ever, if you need assistance with an issue or wish to share your views on local matters, you can reach me by email at martin.wrigley.mp@parliament.uk or by phone on 01626 886520. Those who would like to receive updates can also sign up for my weekly e-newsletter at newtonabbotlibdems.org.uk/martin-wrigley.