Member of Parliament for East Devon Simon Jupp writes for this title.

It was fantastic to welcome the Prime Minister to our beautiful corner of Devon last week.

Rishi Sunak joined me in Sidbury for one of my regular roundtables with farmers from local towns and villages including Sidmouth, Talaton, Venn Ottery, and Seaton alongside the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).

It was great to have Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, join us to discuss the work she’s doing to tackle rural crime as well.

During the roundtable, it was clear that our farmers want to keep producing fantastic food, not fill out endless forms. I've helped to push the DEFRA department in the right direction, focusing on food resilience and delivering a clear message that supermarkets must promote local produce to help us support farmers through debates I have led in Parliament and meetings with ministers. The Prime Minister highlighted the important role Devon’s farmers play in supporting the nation’s food security and thanked them for the brilliant work they do.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister and I met with Cullompton residents at the fantastic Fordmore Farm Shop to discuss the government’s announcement of a new railway station for the town. The Prime Minister’s visit last week demonstrates that Devon is being heard.

Last week, I also welcomed Environment Minister Robbie Moore to East Devon to an energy-from-waste plant in Hill Barton. A new incinerator is being built at the site which will provide it with clean energy, as well as for local homes in the future including in Cranbrook. I also raised South West Water's recent poor performance in Exmouth, Sidmouth, and Budleigh Salterton. Minister Moore shares my concerns and is helping push for overdue upgrades as soon as possible.

I’m very pleased to see water bosses are now set to be banned from receiving bonuses if a company has committed serious criminal breaches. Investigations into South West Water’s debacle in Exmouth at the start of the year are on-going. The Minister and I will be meeting again in London soon to discuss progress on holding water companies to account, including South West Water.