There was some good news in the Budget last week about the reduction of the Severn Bridges tolls, an issue I have long campaigned for. Although I've always supported the Welsh Affairs Select Committee call for around a £1.50 maintenance only toll, it's finally a step in the right direction - albeit 2 years away. However, overall the Budget has failed to deliver for people in Newport East. The Chancellor confirmed he will be cutting support for people with disabilities and using this money to fund a capital gains tax cut for the very wealthiest. He also confirmed that UK Government Departments will face even more cuts, putting even more local services at risk.

This is a Chancellor who has his priorities all wrong at a time when we see that average earnings have been revised down every year of the forecast, and real household disposable income has been revised down every year as well. In a recent debate I called for real tangible support for the UK steel industry, including those working in Newport, and although there was some good news for Port Talbot, there was little for the industry overall.

Following the budget, the TUC said, “The next generation needs a strong economy with more decent jobs” and went on to say, “A fair budget for the next generation would have delivered far more investment in infrastructure, jobs and homes, and fewer eye-catching gimmicks.” They are right.

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Whilst Rosemary Butler will undoubtedly continue to be very active in Newport life, it has been a poignant few weeks attending events for the last time with her as Assembly Member for Newport West. She got into politics after campaigning for a park bench in Caerleon, and has been unstoppable ever since as a local Councillor, Assembly Member and then Wales’s first women Presiding Officer. And I agree with the Argus reporter who tweeted last week that he was going to miss her telling off rowdy AMs in the Assembly Chamber.

Events marking International Women’s Day in Newport are always a chance to stop and reflect on how far we still have to go to get more women into public life – I’m still the only woman to have been elected to Parliament from a Gwent constituency. As Labour candidate for Newport West, Jayne Bryant said at an event on Saturday, Rosemary has won some of the battles for us, and her generous support of women has made a real difference to those following in her footsteps. I can’t imagine she will ever retire so thank you from me and all those you’ve supported over the years, and good luck with your exciting new chapter.