Stuart Anderson MP shares major concerns over Keir Starmer’s latest reset, citing lack of support for rural communities
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled more than 35 bills and draft bills
- However, Stuart has slammed plans for closer alignment with the EU
- Stuart also opposes the imposition of a new levy on overnight stays in England
- Stuart supports the Conservatives’ alternative plan for government.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“On the steps of Downing Street in July 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to tread lightly on people’s lives. However, he has trampled on people’s lives with bad policies and vanity projects, from the Family Farms Tax to Digital ID. Keir Starmer hoped to reset the agenda with new measures unveiled on Wednesday, 13th May 2026. Yet, they only fuel discontent with a government that is crumbling before him. Plans for closer alignment with the EU betray the outcome of the Brexit referendum in 2016, while the imposition of a new levy on overnight stays in England would inflict untold damage on South Shropshire’s tourism and hospitality sectors, which employ thousands of people. Last year alone, tourism in Shropshire generated £1 billion for the local economy. Together, this will drive a further wedge between rural and urban areas - with little announced for communities like South Shropshire that have repeatedly lost out on vital support directed at inner city areas. At the same time, we have suffered excessive tax hikes on shops, farmers, and a plethora of rural businesses. In contrast, the Conservatives have set out a credible alternative plan for government that will build a stronger economy and country by supporting our high streets, tackling energy costs, shoring up our defences, protecting our veterans, and reversing the worrying upward trend in youth unemployment. I will continue to stand up for South Shropshire, including our communities, public services, farmers, and beautiful countryside.”
On Wednesday 13th May 2026, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled more than 35 bills and draft bills. The government has called it an “ambitious programme to break with the status quo.”
However, Stuart has criticised it for neglecting rural areas like South Shropshire, as most of the proposals will benefit inner-city areas. Stuart has renewed his opposition to plans to grant areas the power to impose Overnight Visitor Levy, which were announced at the Autumn Budget In November 2025. UKHospitality estimates a charge of just £2 per person per night could add around £100 to the cost of a two-week family stay in the UK. The trade body has warned it could see holidaymakers taxed an extra £1.6 billion and cost up to 33,000 jobs by 2030. Tourist spending could also drop by as much as £1.8 billion, and the number of overnight stays fall by 12 million, according to separate research from Oxford Economics. The Tourism Alliance has also found that the UK already has the second-highest accommodation tax in Europe, meaning the Levy would widen that gap.
The government has pledged a “closer relationship” with the European Union (EU), with a European Partnership Bill. However, Stuart has said that 52 per cent of the UK public had voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, which both sides had agreed was an opportunity for a once in a generation decision. The Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, has set out five key tests that the government must meet as part of any UK-EU reset. This includes ensuring no new money is paid to the European Union and no dynamic alignment with EU law. However, the government has already broken all of these tests in seeking to reset the UK's relationship with the EU.
Crucially, the government has delayed plans to reform welfare spending, which is expected to reach £210 billion in 2030-31 - with sickness and disability benefits alone expected to total £100 billion. In contrast, the Conservative Party has published an Alternative King’s Speech - setting out plans for 16 bills spanning welfare, immigration, crime, energy, and defence. Stuart has welcomed the alternative agenda, which is the product of 18 months of policy work since leaving government. It includes leaving the ECHR to get a grip on illegal immigration, approving new drilling licences in the North Sea, reforming the welfare system to get people back to work, and properly funding the Armed Forces. The Conservatives are pushing Labour to spend 3% of GDP by the end of Parliament. The Conservatives would create a £50 billion Sovereign Defence Fund and recruit 20,000 new troops including reserves. Stuart also endorsed Conservative Party plans to scrap Business Rates for a quarter of a million high street businesses and abolish Stamp Duty, which could save families in South Shropshire £4,550 when moving home.
Conservatives Alternative Plan
1. Welfare Reform Bill
2. Back Our High Streets Bill
3. Get Britain Working Bill
4. Reducing Bureaucracy Bill
5. Save British Industry Bill
6. Cheap Energy Bill
7. Get Britain Drilling Bill
8. ECHR (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill
9. Human Rights Act (Repeal) Bill
10. Protecting Our Borders Bill
11. Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship Bill
12. Take Back Our Streets Bill
13. Sovereign Defence Fund Bill
14. Protect Our Veterans Bill
15. Restoring School Standards Bill
16. Youth Opportunity Bill
