The Chancellor’s Autumn Budget had been a genuine opportunity for this faltering Government to redeem itself. Instead, it left the needs of Wales out of the picture, and many Mid Wales residents questioning why our communities continue to be treated as an afterthought in Westminster.

For rural Wales, the Budget offered little sense of direction or hope. Families are still dealing with astronomically high costs, and many local businesses remain under strain. After years of financial pressure, people were looking for signs that the Government understood the challenges facing our area. Those signs were not there.

The decision to keep the Family Farms Tax in place was especially disheartening. Family farms in Brecon and Radnorshire hold our rural economy together. They support supply chains, maintain our landscapes, and contribute to the food security of the entire country. Rising energy costs and damaging trade deals have already created a difficult climate for these farms, and leaving this tax unchanged only deepens that difficulty. Farming is central to life in Mid Wales, and families who work the land needed support and clarity. Neither were delivered.

There was an alternative. The Welsh Liberal Democrats had set out a fair and constructive approach that would have given real help to farms, households, and high streets. Asking the wealthiest sectors of the economy, including the major banks who continue to profit while withdrawing from our high streets, to contribute more would have created space to lower bills, scrap the family farms tax, and support local hospitality businesses. This was a practical and responsible plan to help our communities in Mid Wales, yet the Government chose to ignore it.

Wales deserves better, and I will continue to put forward practical solutions for our communities, to ensure that the needs of Mid Wales are heard clearly in Westminster.