I’d like to start my column by thanking South Wales Argus readers and other residents for the concern and support they’ve shown me and other MPs since the tragic death of Sir David Amess MP.

As an MP, I love getting out and about in Torfaen and meeting the people I represent – after all, Torfaen is my home too.

But Sir David’s attack brought back bad memories for me of the murder of my friend Jo Cox, or the attack on another friend and colleague Stephen Timms. We must never let a hate-filled minority spoil our democracy or drive people out of politics.

One of my constituency visits this week was to show my support for our Stagecoach bus drivers, who are striking for a pay rise to £10.50 per hour.

Bus drivers have been real heroes during the pandemic, keeping buses running despite the concern we’ve all felt for our health and wellbeing due to Covid-19.

Theirs is a responsible job, with the safety of passengers and other road users in their hands, so their pay claim doesn’t seem unreasonable to me. The support from the public has been considerable, so I hope Stagecoach are listening!

Back in Westminster, it was budget week. My mask may have hidden some of the dismay on my face, but the Chancellor failed working people at a real time of need.

Inflation is increasing, universal credit is being cut, energy and food prices are up, the government is hiking National Insurance rates and families are really feeling the pinch. Yet the Chancellor failed to accept Labour’s proposal to reduce VAT on energy bills for six months to give people more money in their pockets.

On issue after issue, the budget fails to meet the scale of the challenges we face. For example, the failure to deliver the necessary funding for making coal tips safe is a dangerous mistake.

Politics is about priorities, and working people just aren’t a priority for this Conservative government.

So banks get a £4 billion tax cut and online multinational companies are still not made to pay their fair share, while working people get lumbered with tax rises. That’s the exact reverse of making those with the broadest shoulders pay - this Chancellor and his colleagues are completely removed from the reality of the cost of living crisis.

Whether it’s on the Budget, on social care or on climate change, the government simply haven’t got a credible strategy. What we need is a serious plan to bring growth back to our economy and a real focus on the cost of living crisis.