I'd like to wish all South Wales Argus readers a very Happy New Year and hope you had an enjoyable Christmas.

Although it is a joyful time of year for many, it's also a very difficult time for others here in Wales and around the world, and never more so than in these times of rapidly rising living costs.

We think of those facing hardship across the UK - the lonely, the sick and the disadvantaged - as well as all those across the globe who are facing the spectre of persecution and war, from Ukraine and Armenia to Iran and Afghanistan.

After a year of such uncertainty and turmoil in 2022, let us hope that better times lie ahead in 2023.

I am so grateful to all the organisations and volunteers in Newport East who have been providing support to the most vulnerable in our communities over the Christmas break.

I also pay tribute to the many emergency service workers who have been hard at work keeping us safe over the festive period: our police, firefighters, NHS staff, care workers and others for whom Christmas Day never represents a break from tireless public service.

* After the year we've just had in Westminster, it seems naive to make any political predictions for 2023!

As I highlighted in the pre-Christmas adjournment debate in the House of Commons, 2022 gave us five different education secretaries, four chancellors, three PMs and two Tory leadership contests.

It would almost be funny if it wasn't so serious for the country.

For example, since the last general election we've had six different steel ministers - making it incredibly hard for steel businesses and trade unions to liaise with government on vital issues affecting the sector like energy costs, decarbonisation and procurement.

I have constituents who have lost huge sums of money on their pensions as a result of the disastrous autumn mini-budget orchestrated by the Conservatives.

And we also (at the time of writing!) still have a Home Secretary who lost her job over a serious security breach before being reappointed by the current Prime Minister within the space of a week. None of this is good enough.

We need a change, a general election, and a Labour government which will put the country on the road a fair recovery and a brighter future after 12 years of failed policies.

* As always, please do get in touch if you need anything or would like to let me know your views. You can email me at jessica.morden.mp@parliament.uk, or call my office on 01633 841725. For updates on my work you can also follow me on follow me Twitter (@jessicamordenmp), Facebook (Jessica Morden MP), or Instagram (@jessicamordenmp). You can also watch all of my speeches and questions in Parliament on my YouTube channel - Jessica Morden MP.