On Tuesday morning Theresa May declared that she was asking Parliament for permission to hold a general election – and I believe she was right to do so.
Since taking office last summer the Prime Minister has proven herself the right person for the job, able to keep a cool head in an uncertain world. Like so many of us, she was wary of the need for another election so soon after last year’s referendum and the 2015 vote.
But whilst the country has come together after Brexit much faster than many feared, Westminster has not. Too many people there are determined to try to derail the result and make it very difficult for the Government to offer Britain the strong, stable leadership we need.
It has been a privilege to serve the people of Solihull as your MP these last two years, and I intend to put my name forward to my local party to be readopted as their candidate in the coming election.
Even in so short a span of time I’ve been able to confront issues of vital importance to our community, such as fighting for fair funding for local schools, and standing up for our town’s distinct identity and green belt against Labour’s drive towards ‘Greater Birmingham’.
Locally I’ve made sure that the Powergen eyesore is redeveloped and the new Urgent Care Centre delivered, as well as successfully campaigning to double the free waiting time in our hospital car parks and improve local shopping districts.
Indeed, I’ve actually been recognised as one of the most active and engaged members of the 2015 intake in the House of Commons. I promised to work hard to make Solihull an even better place to live, and if re-elected I’ll keep delivering on that promise.
I’d also like to publicly acknowledge and thank my caseworkers and office staff for their extraordinary work since 2015. There’s much more to an MP’s office than the MP alone, and they have helped thousands of local residents with a huge range of problems.
The next few years will be absolutely crucial for our community and our country. We need a Conservative government to secure our excellent economic performance, safeguard our Union, and secure the best Brexit deal for Britain.