On Tuesday I hosted a reception for BAE in the House of Commons. It was great to speak to their CEO and top team about the tremendous opportunities coming to Furness, and the wider northwest, with AUKUS and Tempest.

With the prospect of 7,000 more jobs for the Dreadnought programme and generations of work with AUKUS, the shipyard has never been in a stronger position. But there is a burning need to get recruitment right locally to ensure that this growth benefits the whole community rather than simply extracting talent from local businesses, schools, and the NHS. I am doing plenty of work on that in Furness, especially through the SME forum which I co-Chair, and I am speaking to senior Ministers to press the message at Westminster.

In an increasingly uncertain world, we simply won’t be able to defend democracy and freedom against aggressors without partnerships like AUKUS. But we also need to build resilience in our skills pipeline and supply chains to get these projects over the line.

I’d also welcome views on the planned changes to Railway Ticket offices. Under Northern’s plans, Barrow’s would remain open. But in Ulverston, earmarked for closure, station staff are needed to make the accessible crossing available. Northern’s current proposals suggest there would be someone on site for only 2 hours daily, which raises real concerns. So please complete my short questionnaire www.simonfell.org/ticket-offices so that I can feed your views into their consultation response.

I also spoke on BBC Radio Cumbria about plans to slash local content on BBC Radio. These cuts would mean a worse service for local folk, with coverage over such a wide area it wouldn’t be local at all. That’s not acceptable and I won’t let this drop.

This week marked the 75th anniversary of the creation of the NHS. As my nominees for NHS heroes, I was delighted to invite Andrew and Kay Wilson from Duddon Valley Medical Practice to Downing Street to meet the Health Secretary. Many of you will know them from the excellent job they do at the GP Practices they run in Kirkby, Broughton and Askam. When it seemed that Askam’s Surgery might close, they stepped up, joined my #SaveOurSurgery campaign, and kept the practice going.

In terms of the wider NHS, we all have much to be thankful for. I know I’m not alone in owing my life to it. Last week saw the launch of the hugely important NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, setting out detailed strategies to protect its future. I’ve also been reading Isabel Hardman’s book, ‘Fighting for Life: the 12 battles that made our NHS and the struggle for its future’. I’m only half way, but it’s brilliant. It is thought-provoking and analyses where the NHS came from and where it’s going. For anyone who cares about the NHS, I totally recommend it.

I’m ending the week in Furness, speaking to Cumbria Chamber of Commerce on Friday, and holding two surgeries – one at St Pius X School and another at Asda in Barrow. As ever, if you would like to talk to me or my team, please do contact us on 01229 314 220.