25th September 2023: A Week in Parliament

Crosshouse Primary

As MP, I was truly honoured to officially open the new Crosshouse Primary School, Communication Centre and Early Childhood Centre. The occasion was made even more meaningful by the fact that my two sons were pupils there over a decade ago. The transformation we witness today is truly remarkable and a testament to the dedication and hard work invested in this project. The building now perfectly embodies the school's motto of 'Be the best you can be.' Moreover, the commitment to inclusivity remains strong with the continued support of the Communication Centre, which caters to children with social and communication disorders. The Centre reflects the local authority’s dedication to providing tailored support for every child's unique needs. One of the pupils from the centre, Oliver Houston aged 11, gifted to me an outstanding drawing of the Titanic. Oliver draws from memory and drew that particular piece off the back of visiting the Titanic exhibition in Belfast – truly fantastic!! As we celebrate the milestone of this new premises, let’s look forward to a future where the school continues to nurture our young people’s minds and embraces diversity. 

PM ditching climate policies

Once again, the Tories have shown their true colours and went back on a series of climate proposals despite Scotland and the rest of the UK’s net zero targets. Last week he decided to delay the prohibition of new petrol and diesel vehicles, dilute the strategy for eliminating gas boilers by 2035, and abandon the mandate for enhancing home energy efficiency – a complete and utter farce. The Tories' reckless plan jeopardizes Scotland's economic future. We are a renewable energy powerhouse, and with the global race to Net Zero, the UK's withdrawal would be catastrophic. Instead of ensuring a smooth energy transition to protect and create Scottish jobs, the Tories seem to prefer a cliff-edge approach. Worse, he claimed to be on the “side of workers” when promising to scrap policies that didn’t even exist in the first place. A total con man. Labour's backtrack on Net Zero investments has allowed the Tories to exploit Scotland and bring us down with the rest of the UK.  

Kilmarnock F.C.

By the time you are reading this column, it is our hope that Kilmarnock can book their place at Hampden for the second year in a row as part of the League Cup. We were all buzzing off of the win against Celtic last month in the last 16, but as Derek McInnes said himself, we have to go all the way now after knocking out the favourites! Last year we saw the lift the town, in particular the hospitality sector, got after Killie was playing on the big stage again so let’s hope for more of the same!

Macmillan Coffee Morning

A final reminder that this week my office will be hosting a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support from 11 am. Please drop in for some coffee and cake as well as support a wonderful cause. If you are unable to attend but would still like to donate, then you can through my JustGiving page. The link to my fundraiser is pinned on both my Facebook and Twitter/X accounts. For more details and information please contact me on: 01563 501412 / alan.brown.mp@parliament.uk