For many people across Winchester, September marks a new beginning. The new school year is starting, and hundreds of young adults are moving to Winchester for the first time to start at our excellent universities.

For me, it meant returning to Parliament after a month of attending events and meeting with various organisations in Winchester and the Meon Valley. Last week in Parliament I gave my maiden speech. I highlighted the need to tackle the crisis in our mental health services - something I’m all too familiar with having been a trustee of a mental health charity over the last few years. I also focused on the need to tackle climate change, protect our precious chalk streams, and fight the increasing levels of child poverty.

But dominating debate in Parliament when we returned was the government's plans to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance for most pensioners. Over the last few weeks, more people have written to me about this than any other subject.

Undoubtedly, there are many wealthier pensioners who do not rely on the winter fuel allowance to heat their homes, but far too many pensioners who live on or near the poverty line will be plunged into crisis this winter.

People are shocked when they hear that the government’s means testing is taking away the allowance from people receiving as little as £11,500 a year. The charity Age UK has estimated that two million pensioners across England now risk fuel poverty this winter, including thousands here in Hampshire.

In Parliament, I challenged the Chancellor directly about the impacts on the most vulnerable and joined all seventy-two Liberal Democrat MPs in voting to protect these payments. The previous Conservative government left the state of our country’s finances in a terrible way, and I understand that the current government will have to make difficult choices as a result. But making our less well-off pensioners choose between heating and eating this winter is not the right way to balance the books, and may end up costing more in hospital admissions and other unintended consequences.

September also saw the National Farmers’ Union ‘Back British Farming’ Day and I was delighted to meet with local farmers at the Parliamentary reception.

And it was a real treat to attend the marvellous Alresford Show recently. I enjoyed a cracking breakfast with local members of the NFU there, before spending the morning watching the classes and talking to many of you. Both when I was working as a vet and while running for Parliament, I was able to meet many of our area’s farmers and hear their stories. I grew up on our family farm, so I totally understand the real challenges facing our farmers. Too often, I hear stories of poor mental health, financial strain and worry about the undercutting of our food standards in badly negotiated trade deals.

As our MP, I will always be a champion for British farmers, and our high animal welfare and environmental standards.

Danny Chambers

MP for Winchester