When I was a toddler, I used to go round to my Nan’s house on washing days. It was fascinating to watch her squeeze the water out of her hand-washed clothes with a mangle. Later on, she congratulated herself on buying and learning how to use white goods called ‘appliances’.

Rather than appliances, it is the mobile phones with their ‘applications’ or ‘apps’ in the 21st century that can leave older people feeling excluded. This is what we mean when we talk of ‘digital exclusion’.

Recent years have seen a stampede in company boardrooms away from in-person customer service and towards moving everything online. This can include banking, pensions, and even booking tickets for public transport. I am proud of our campaign to save railway ticket offices from closure. That is one example of where we were successful in making the Government and big companies back off.

For many people across our towns and villages, access to broadband is a real issue and this can further restrict our ability to engage with online services. Some communities struggle to access even a basic connection, never mind full fibre speeds.

As a father, I often find myself struck by how very digitally literate the next generation is. My children are way ahead of anything that I can do – so much so that I rely on them to do my IT problem solving for me!

For many people, help from our family is not there all the time. This is a particular issue for older people, some of whom are more isolated. Digital exclusion can in turn impact people’s loneliness.

People who have worked hard, paid their taxes, and contributed to society throughout their lives deserve to be supported as they enter their later years. We cannot allow them to feel excluded, simply because it furthers corporate greed in a company boardroom.

The Government’s recent Budget proved what the digital exclusion of older people had made me suspect – that this Conservative Government doesn’t care about those people in society who are left behind. The cut to national insurance offers zero benefit for retirees, while the freeze on income tax thresholds is leaving thousands having to pay more tax on their already limited incomes.

Older people who are digitally excluded or depend on a pension must be certain that they can continue to play an active role and contribute to society. Like many people in our area, I want to be able to look another human in the eyes and have a conversation with someone I trust. I don’t want to be told that I will have to go online and that there is no alternative. A chatbot just won’t cut it.