I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Mayor and Blaenavon Councillor Phyllis Roberts, at the age of 97.

Phyllis was a giant of Eastern Valley politics for more than half a century. She loved Blaenavon and was a champion of its people. She had so many friends, many of whom she had come to know when she ran the newsagents in Blaenavon.

So many people’s lives have been enriched by knowing Phyllis. She supported countless organisations in the town and across Torfaen, and helped make the valley a better place.

For me personally, she was the greatest of friends, and the most loyal of supporters, from when I first joined the Labour Party at the age of 16, and was there with me at the count when I had the extraordinary privilege of being elected Torfaen’s MP’s for the first time in 2015.

Her influence, her passionate socialist beliefs, and her dedication to helping others, will remain an inspiration for generations to come.

That ethic of public service was also demonstrated at the Association of Police Superintendents Conference this week, at which I was honoured to speak. I paid tribute to the dedication of our police officers and made clear my opposition to the Government’s insulting police pay freeze.

Of course, it’s not just police officers who will see their incomes hit by this Government. The Conservatives are hitting working people with a double whammy of tax rises and a cruel cut to Universal Credit.

More than 2.5million families stand to lose more than £1,000 per year, including many of the key workers who have kept the country going over this past 18 months.

The £20 per week cut to Universal Credit is particularly cruel, as it will hit some of the lowest paid working families at a time when they can least afford it. So, along with my Labour colleagues, I voted against the cut in Parliament.

On social care, the Tory plan fails on so many levels. It asks the wrong people to foot the bill for something that will not solve the problems of the care sector.

What is needed is a genuine plan that helps improve things for those who need care and makes things better for those who work in the sector. The half-baked Tory plan is nothing like a solution and will just leave working people with a large bill. The UK Government needs to think again.