Just as this June newsletter hits your inbox, MPs are debating the contentious Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, a piece of legislation that has caused difficulty for Labour backbenchers. In my view there’s no doubt we need to do something serious on welfare spending, which is estimated to balloon to over £100 billion per year by the end of the decade. The Government is already borrowing 70% more than the previous Conservative administration had planned to, which has added £80 billion to our debt interest. And that’s money that we desperately need for our local services here in the Gosport constituency.

 

But welfare changes need to be introduced properly - an evidence led plan to get people off of benefits and into work, not the knee jerk cuts to the Personal Independence Payments, which in many cases enable people to keep their jobs. 

 

The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce met again this month. Regular readers know that I Co-Chair this team as part of the work prompted by Stubbington resident Charlotte Fairall in memory of her daughter Sophie. I am pleased to update you that our draft recommendations have been shared with all Taskforce members. Now they will be passed on to the Health Secretary, and I will keep you in the loop as this develops.

As part of this role, I visited the Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Unit at Southampton General Hospital. I was pleased to meet the brilliant staff and Teenage Cancer Trust team and hear directly from some inspirational patients about their cancer diagnosis and treatment journey.

 

This month I also wrote to the CEO of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight about access to GP services provided by the Willow Group. I have received an uptick in complaints regarding delays and difficulties in securing an appointment, especially for those who are not able to use the eConsult system. 

Of course, Willow Group staff are doing their best in difficult circumstances, but they need more support. I will be meeting them shortly to talk this through.

 

It was a pleasure to meet with unpaid carers at the Carers Week Parliamentary reception this month and hear more about their daily lives supporting their families and loved ones. I am honoured to have been asked to be one of their Parliamentary Champions. 

 

In Parliament, I asked the Defence Minister, Maria Eagle MP, whether the Government’s decision to extend nuclear capability for airdrop weapons will impact the funding of our conventional armed forces. I was not convinced by the Minister’s response, so have written for further clarification. Follow our exchange [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

I also urged the Minister to support UK defence companies. Aeralis is offering a British-designed and built modular replacement for the aging Hawk jets. These would be used by the Red Arrows and a range of other programmes and would create over 600 skilled jobs at StandardAero in Gosport. We can’t have a Russian/Italian aircraft for the UK’s Red Arrows! My question is available [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

I spoke on BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight about the Government’s Strategic Defence Review and its potential impact on training establishments such as HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood. The interview is available [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]")**.**

 

With so many residents in our area having served our nation, Armed Forces Day 2025 on Saturday had particular resonance. A big thank you to those of you who serve or have served our military - and the families who support them. 

 

I was delighted to join the unveiling of the Gosport D-Day Fellowship Memorial in Stokes Bay. We were truly honoured to be joined by D-Day veteran Albert Westgate. My gratitude and congratulations go to Jilly Salvat and team, whose brilliant efforts made this important site of commemoration and remembrance a reality. 


In Westminster, I met with the Chair of the Government’s Defence Housing Strategy Review, Natalie Elphicke, to share constituents’ feedback about service family housing and on-site Navy accommodation. Among other things, I outlined that too many houses are plagued by damp and mould, repairs are slow and badly managed, communication is poor, and core issues are not addressed. 

Natalie and the team promised to report back later this year on their plan of action.

I quizzed the Science and Technology Minister on the speed of implementing the Online Safety Act. As someone who helped write the legislation, I welcome that it passed into law, but when will it actually start protecting children from the harms of the online world? You can listen to what I said [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

As Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee I spoke out on behalf of creators who are extremely concerned about the Government’s position on AI and copyright that will essentially allow Big Tech to use their work without permission. My speech is available [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]")**.**

 

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP, made a statement on Glastonbury and the BBC’s coverage of Bob Vylan’s vile anti-Semitic remarks, now being investigated by the police. I asked the Government to hold the BBC to account for this disregard of their own editorial guidelines** **[**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]")**.**

 

I tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to extend the legal definition of extreme pornography to cover the depiction of nonfatal strangulation. Strangulation is the second biggest cause of femicide, and perpetrators are increasingly using the defence that it was a ‘sex game gone wrong’. Tackling sexualisation of strangulation is a reasonable step to improve safety of women and girls. You can read more about the amendment [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]"). Although they voted against it at the time it sounds like the Government have now accepted the argument and will amend the legislation moving forward.

 

I also raised my concern over the dangers associated with the Class 3 heavyweight mobility scooters. Fatalities have doubled and serious injuries have increased by almost 60% over the last ten years. How does the Government propose to regulate this method of transport? You can watch my exchange with the Minister [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

I argued that our planning system and licensing regime undermine the existence of our cultural venues. Live music venues will be shutting at the rate of 2 a week by the end of the year and the Government is not acting fast enough to stop it. My speech is available [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

I am also very keen to preserve our historic buildings and was delighted to welcome a popular historian, Alice Loxton, to give evidence to Parliament on how we protect and promote our heritage assets. You can listen to the discussion [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

In Parliament, I heard from Sport England on the lack of overarching Government’s strategy to get people active and into sport. My question to their CEO is available [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

While levels of activity around the country seem to be declining, local clubs in Gosport are thriving. After I spoke about them in the House of Commons last month, I was extremely proud to see our international cheerleading champions JLDC and Storm Athletics interviewed on Times Radio and in The Times! You can have a closer look at the article [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

 

Gosport BMX Club played host to the Lloyds BMX National Series and the weekend saw around 1000 competitors and 2000 spectators at our world-class local track. I caught up with BMX Race Hub and agreed that the event was fantastically organised by an incredible team of volunteers. You can listen to our discussion [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").

I marked Employability Day 2025 by meeting with Whitehead-Ross Education on Gosport High Street, who offer support and training to help the long-term unemployed get into work. You can find out more about them l and the support they provide [**here**]([link removed]).

 

I visited the Walking Rugby Festival at Gosport and Fareham Rugby Football Club where men and women in teams from across the South were taking part in this fast-growing sport. Of course, Gosport was one of the first in the country! You can find out more about them [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]").


Brilliant businesses are opening up all over the Constituency. I was allowed a sneak preview of Dylan and Anna’s [**DNA Vintage shop **]([link removed])on Gosport High Street.  To all lovers of stylish vintage and second-hand clothing from the 90s, 127A High Street is the address to remember.

 

The Studio at ThirteenEight on Stoke Road is where you can find fantastic artwork and paint supplies, and they also run workshops and courses led by the talented owners Tom and Ellen. More information about what’s on offer is available [**here**]([link removed]).


Big congratulations to Scott’s Plaice for winning my first ever Gosport Constituency Fish & Chip Shop of the Year! The public vote was kicked off on Facebook on National Fish and Chip Day as a way of celebrating our local chippies and drawing attention to the growing pressures on their businesses. I dropped in to meet Scott and Steve with their award certificate and a bottle of House of Commons fizz.

I was delighted to see the People and Stories fantastic production of The Oyster House at St Faith’s. 

 

It’s wonderful to have a local theatre group who write and perform stories set around the Portsmouth and Langstone Harbours. 

 

You can find out more about upcoming shows [**here**]([link removed] "[link removed]"). 

The Friends of St Marks Churchyard in Alverstoke held an open day to showcase this charming and tranquil local spot. It was brought back to life by the team of volunteers, led by the wonderful Roy Harris, who first started tending the overgrown site 22 years ago.

 

Back in Westminster, I caught up with Rev. Sean Blackman from the Freedom Church and Pastor Michael Hitchings from the Alverstoke Evangelical Church for the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast.

 

I also met with Nick from Repair Café Gosport when Parliament celebrated their work. Our local Repair Café is one of over 700 across the country where volunteers help to fix broken household items that might otherwise go to landfill, saving money and reducing carbon emissions. You can visit Gosport Repair Café on the Second Saturday of every month (except August) between 10:30 and 13:00 at venues around Gosport. I dropped by this month and was delighted that they fixed my bedside lamp!
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A reminder to all 70s, 80s, and 90s music fans that Gosport Waterfront Festival is taking place on 25-27th July at Walpole Park. Organisers promised us some amazing headliners and you can find out more and purchase tickets [**here**]([link removed]).

 

So that's it for June! As ever, my team and I are here for any questions, thoughts or concerns you may have. Please do get in touch via [**[email protected]**](mailto:[email protected] "mailto:[email protected]").


Dame Caroline Dinenage DBE MP

167 Stoke Road 
Gosport 
PO12 1SE

[[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])


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