Dear John,

It’s been a busy start to 2026 in the Borders and at Westminster. Here is just some of what I’ve been doing on your behalf.

Signing a joint statement to pause energy projects 

I recently signed a joint statement calling for all energy projects in the Borders to be paused.

The statement was produced at the first ever South of Scotland Convention of Community Councils, which I attended.

Speaking at the event, I voiced my serious concerns about the SNP’s reckless and inadequate planning framework, which largely ignores the views of local communities.

Local residents are frustrated at the number of proposals across the Borders for mega-pylons, data centres, solar farms, wind farms and battery storage sites.

I will continue to fight to protect our countryside and ensure the views of local people are respected.

Vote for Borders businesses in the Countryside Alliance Awards

Eight local businesses have been nominated as finalists in the Countryside Alliance Awards – known as the “Rural Oscars”. This is a fantastic achievement, and a huge thank you to everyone who nominated them.

• Briggsy’s Quality Butchers in Jedburgh, in the Butcher category
• Allanton Inn, in the Pub category
• The Buccleuch Arms in St Boswell’s, in the Pub category
• The Blackadder Bar and Restaurant in Greenlaw, in the Pub category
• The Gordon Arms in Gordon, in the Pub category
• Fine Feathers in Oxnam, in the Rural Enterprise category
• Ancrum Pantry, in the Village Shop/Post Office category
• Oxton Community Shop, in the Village Shop/Post Office category

Now, it is down to you. Make sure you vote for our brilliant Borders businesses as soon as possible. The results will be announced in late spring, and winners from Scotland will then progress to the grand final!

Opposing more SNP tax rises and budget cuts

The SNP’s latest budget, published in mid January, has left taxes in Scotland at the highest level in the UK.

As a result of these Nationalist decisions, more people in the Borders will soon be dragged into higher tax brackets and local businesses will continue to get a raw deal.

Council budgets will be under severe strain as the SNP chose to underfund local authorities again.

It was especially bad news for the Borders because the funding for rural affairs, which directly impacts our local area, will suffer the worst budget cut of any department.

Challenging Labour’s awful record

Over the past month, I’ve continued to hold the UK Labour government to account for their awful record in power and litany of broken promises to the British people.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, I pointed out that even Scottish Labour MPs have lost confidence in Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

I also used a speech in the UK Parliament to highlight the huge numbers of people, including over 1000 in the Borders, who have signed a petition calling for a General Election.

If bills keep going up, as they have been, the public’s trust in Labour will keep going down.