Pippa Heylings 🔶 MP for South Cambridgeshire

The transition to secure, green and affordable energy requires action nationally, regionally and locally - and that's where community energy comes in. Lib Dems are calling for communities to have the power to buy and sell energy locally, and to benefit fairly when they host renewable infrastructure.

South Cambridgeshire has just had the 2nd driest April and hottest May bank holiday on record. Climate change impacts - harvest failures, worsening drought, deadly heatwaves - are here now. The transition away from fossil fuels is not a political nice-to-have, it is now a necessity.

The new report from @thecccuk.bsky.social is a wake-up call, and the UK is not ready for it. Extreme heat is one of the deadliest consequences of climate change. Cooling must become the norm in our hospitals, schools and workplaces. One avoidable death from extreme heat is one too many.

Ed Davey is absolutely right. The idea that North Sea drilling will bring down your energy bills is fantasy — prices are set on volatile global markets. The real answer is investing in homegrown British renewables, so we're never again held hostage to market shocks or foreign dictators.

While the Government's announcement was welcome, we need to go beyond short-term action. We've seen oil and gas prices soar, and the families who have to use oil for heating are the most exposed. The Government needs to urgently implement a price cap and a three-month VAT holiday on heating oil.

Many rural homes, like those in South Cambs, rely on heating oil and have seen prices more than double in a week. I asked Rachel Reeves if she would back Lib Dem proposals for a three‑month VAT cut on heating oil and consider further support to protect residents from these unfair price spikes.

What Reform and the Conservatives won't say about expanding North Sea oil and gas: it won't make bills in the UK a penny cheaper! A diverse mix of UK-produced green energy is how we lower people's bills and provide the true energy security we need.

My Bill would give chalk streams the legal protections they deserve. Our rivers and streams are as much a part of our national identity as our greatest cathedrals and monuments. It's time we treated them that way. Read

The Secretary of State seems to appreciate Lib Dem common sense on energy bills! Brexit is costing the UK £350m a year by shutting us out of the EU energy market. I pushed for faster progress on a UK‑EU electricity trading deal to cut costs and boost energy security.

Cutting schemes like ECO with no plan to replace them will not help the 6.1 million households living in fuel poverty. Liberal Democrats want a fully funded long term Warm Homes Plan to cut bills and keep people warm.

The UN says missing the 1.5°C target is now inevitable, risking devastating loss of the Amazon rainforest. I urged the Government to end aid cuts so the UK can back the Tropical Forests Forever Fund. 🌳 #ClimateAction #StopDeforestation #UKPolitics

In Parliament today I argued that we need swift action to protect the Petrofac workers at risk of job losses in Scotland. We are calling for an independent Just Transition Commission to protect these skilled workers. Job creation must match job losses.

I called out Reform's backwards vision on the future of coal. Whilst we fight for green jobs of the future, they call for reopening coal mines and fracking which would devastate our countryside.

I spoke up for BN(O) visa holders in South Cambs. Many fled oppression to build safe, free lives here. They contribute so much to our community, yet now face being pushed from a 5-year to a 10-year settlement route. It’s about fairness & keeping Britain’s word. 🇬🇧🇭🇰 #StandWithHongKong #BNOVisa

The fight isn't over: we're pushing for zero sewage in bathing sites by 2030 & to hold water companies accountable.

In my role as DESNZ spokes, I urged the Govt to back a life-saving idea: open community cool hubs—air-conditioned spaces like libraries & leisure centres—to protect people in heatwaves. 2,295 died last summer. We must act now #CoolHubs #ClimateAction

Many children who go to A&E present with dental pain because they haven't been able to see an #NHS dentist - adding to A&E waiting times. To fix the NHS we have to see #Dentistry as essential NHS healthcare provision. Gent must act urgently to end the crisis in NHS dentistry.

I asked my first PMQ today! 💧 I had to raise the urgent water crisis in South Cambs — the most water-stressed area in England. We need action now to protect our communities, environment, and future growth. This can’t wait. #PMQs #WaterCrisis

Nature is not a 'blocker' to house building but instead adds value to house prices and to peoples' lives. We must make sure that essential infrastructure is in place before house building. In South Cambs we urgently need new water supplies. #southcambridgeshire #fensreservoir

A year ago today, voters in South Cambs put their faith in me to be their local champion. I'm incredibly grateful! I'm proud of early wins: #solarpanels on every new home; reversing cuts on #DisabilityBenefits & #WinterFuelPayments; & getting the green light for #cambridgecancerresearchhospital

Environment Agency report detailing impending shortages in public water supply of 5 billion litres/day by 2055 is a national crisis. In East of England, additional 680 million litres/day needed. Need a new regulator with real teeth & proper investment to secure water future.

The #spendingreview was a missed opportunity. The pathways we should be following for growth and investment should begin with a bespoke UK-EU customs union - contributing 2.2% to UK GDP and generating an extra £25 billion in tax revenue for our public services.

We can't fix the #NHS until we fix #socialcare #spendingreview

support this Bill. In the remaining sessions in Parliament, it’s critical to get the balance right between ensuring robust safeguards are in place to protect the vulnerable and to ensure that the Bill is workable and compassionate for those whom this Bill seeks to help in their final dying weeks.

Liberal Democrats have created a Reform watch to look at Reform’s actions in #localgovernment. Residents expect services - SEND provision, adult social care, potholes to be fixed, our environment to be protected - but they cannot do that by cutting further into council budgets.

So important to recognise the huge contribution that immigration and the people who have come to this country have made to our economy, and particularly to public services and to our care system. We need a clear plan to make it easier to recruit British workers to fill vacancies

At last week’s local elections, #Liberal Democrats overtook the Conservatives and are now the second largest party in #localgovernment - and are well on track and in pole position to overtake the Conservatives at the general election.

Big news from today’s local elections in Cambridgeshire: the #LiberalDemocrats are winning, and we’re now on course to overtake the Conservatives at the next General Election. For the first time ever, we’ve beaten both the Conservatives and Labour in the same local elections.

#BritishSteel is absolutely critical to our manufacturing here in the UK - for our national security, for our defence industry, for road and rail transport, and also for our green transition to renewable energy to manufacture wind turbines.

Reform business rates, scrap the National Insurance jobs tax and family farm tax - and work for a UK-EU customs union to turbocharge growth, cut the red tape that followed Brexit, and give British businesses new trade opportunities with our nearest trading partners.

The #FensReservoir will only provide capacity for the already ambitious housing numbers in the emerging local plan - NOT for the 150,000 additional homes proposed by government. I've asked ministers for water, transport, housing and health to attend an inter-ministerial roundtable.

We're privileged in #SouthCambs with hi-tech business, start-ups & biomedical research - to be the engine room for innovation & economic growth for the country. But we must ensure local voices are heard as part of strategic planning so that developers build high quality housing and infrastructure.

I gave the Chancellor's Spring Statement 3/10 - a missed opportunity to deliver real change for South Cambs, especially small businesses. But if Chancellor to cut taxes on U.S. tech billionaires like Elon Musk whilst hitting disability benefits then Labour is at risk of losing its moral compass.

Addenbrooke’s Hospital has launched an expert clinical inquiry following evidence of nine young children having suffered outcomes that are lower than should have been expected, by a now suspended paediatric orthopaedic surgeon. I have written to the hospital to request that a copy of the findings

South Cambs is facing a water supply crisis. Proposed Fens reservoir will provide water for already ambitious house building plans in new Local Plan – but not additional housing proposed by Chancellor. Plans must be urgently accelerated so demand can be met much earlier than 2038.

In 2024, Cam Valley Forum secured Sheeps Green Bathing Water Status, exposing pollution & unlocking funding. Reforms to Bathing Water Regs could block future cleanups by preventing sites from gaining protection unless they already meet ‘sufficient’ water quality. 💧 #BathingWaterStatus #SouthCambs

This morning on BBC Cambs, I called out the unfair tax penalties on South Cambs families hosting Ukrainian refugees. The Govt must fix this—not leave them stuck in bureaucracy. I have already met with Ministers and will continue to push for action to be taken #HomesForUkraine #FairnessForHosts #scdc

Boosting defence must not mean slashing aid. The Lib Dems back 2.5% defence spending & reversing Tory troop cuts. But aid cuts fuel instability & threaten UK security. We must not pull the rug on our responsibilities. 🌍 #LibDems #security

The UK must reduce US dependence. On BBC Politics Live, I urged 3% GDP on Defence for UK & European security. The PM must: 💷 Create a European Rearmament Bank 💰 Seize Russian assets 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇪🇺 #Defence #Security #Ukraine #UK