LAST week the government announced it would not proceed with the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon – a decision which is hugely disappointing not just for Swansea but Wales as a whole.

The development of a pathfinder project in Swansea could have led to further scaled-up lagoons in Newport, Cardiff and beyond, with Wales becoming the leader in this technology and creating a more sustainable energy mix.

Alongside fellow Welsh MPs I will be scrutinising the minister Greg Clark’s statement to the Commons in the weeks to come to hold the government to account for this decision, which comes after the abandonment of the electrification programme beyond Cardiff last year.

In Parliament last week ministers were also forced to respond to the recent Brexit risk assessment report by Airbus.

In the report, the company warned that in the event of no deal (leaving both the single market and the customs union immediately without transition) it would reconsider its investments in the UK.

Many Newport East constituents work for Airbus in Newport or across the border in Filton – and of its 14,000 employees around half are from or work in Wales.

In Parliament I questioned the minister on the importance of engaging with the company who have warned the government about uncertainty for the business post-Brexit.

Last weekend I was really pleased to attend the launch of the new book The World of Newport Medieval Ship, edited by Drs Evan Jones and Richard Stone at the University of Bristol.

The book launch at the Newport Ship Centre in Queensway Meadows featured some interesting talks, including contributions from experts from the Albaola museum in San Sebastián in the Basque region.

Fittingly, Newportonian-Basque economic ties will also be strengthened by the new CAF train factory at Llanwern. CAF, who have their headquarters in Beasain in the heart of the Basque country, were successful in their bid to produce trains for the newly-awarded Wales and Borders franchise.

The factory in Llanwern will create 300 new jobs and boost the wider UK rail industry supply chain as the company develops a 'cluster' of local and national companies to supply components for train manufacture.

On Saturday, July 14, I’ll be hosting an event for local 1950s-born women affected by changes to the state pension age.

John Griffiths, Jayne Bryant, Paul Flynn and I will be joined by local campaigners and guest speaker Carolyn Harris.

Carolyn is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on State Pension Inequality for Women.

I’d like to invite all women affected to come along on the day for an update on the campaign.

The event is from 10am-11.30am at St Patrick’s Church on Cromwell Road, Newport, NP19 0HS. Please email Jessica.morden.mp@parliament.uk or call my office on 01633 841725 to let us know if you are coming on the day.