THERE is no doubt that in 2019, politics in the UK will be dominated by the fallout from Brexit.

Yet whatever happens on the EU front, I am clear that this year we must re-set the domestic agenda that has been so devastatingly ignored because of the unrelenting focus on the Brexit chaos.

I’ve been trying to get several other issues on the agenda in Westminster. Last month I called a Commons debate on mental health in schools. I urged the Government to do more to tackle the causes of the mental health crisis amongst pupils and staff – including an end to the high-stakes exam culture throughout the school system; scrapping SATs; abolishing and replacing Ofsted; reforming league tables; and decent funding for schools and wrap-around health, community, council and youth services.

The Government’s culture of senseless competition among schools, in which results from a single set of narrowly focused high-stakes exams are the be-all and end-all, is creating a mental health crisis. I demand better for our education system.

I’ve also spoken out in Parliament about the need for a full public inquiry and independent information about the costs and benefits of the proposed Abingdon Reservoir being put forward by Thames Water.

The plan has already been thrown out once in 2010. I have yet to be convinced that Thames Water have done enough to tackle leaks across their system and to fully invest in transferring surplus water from other areas. If these issues were sorted, then a reservoir may not be needed at all. I also have serious concerns about the impact a reservoir would have on flood relief land south of Abingdon and on residents and the environment. That’s why I want a full public inquiry so that we can have an independent view on whether this reservoir is needed.

And this week, as Parliament returns from its Christmas break, I’ve called a special debate on ‘the route of the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway’ where I'll be making sure local people's voices are heard loud & clear by the Government's Transport minister before any decisions are made. There has been no public consultation on this proposed expressway. I am sceptical about whether it is needed at all and whilst I’d rather investment was put into rail links and integrated public transport, I’ll be doing all I can to stop the prospect of damage to homes, communities & the environment in Abingdon, Radley, Botley, Kidlington and the surrounding villages that could be under threat from the Expressway.

If there’s ever anything that you think I could be campaigning on please don’t hesitate to get in touch.