Talk of by-elections and polls have dominated the political news these last few weeks so I thought I would spend some column inches this week on just some of the important developments of these most recent months, now parliament has broken up for the summer.
The big beast of legislation is the completion through parliament of the Illegal Migration Bill. It now awaits Royal Assent and is designed to stop the boats.
The first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan has been commissioned by the government to train, retain and reform the workforce over the next 15 years. This will put the NHS on a sustainable footing into the future.
This last session has seen England attain the highest literacy rates for school children anywhere in the western world in primary school reading proficiency.
Other new laws are now in place too. The Public Order Act is allowing the police to break up go-slow Just Stop Oil protests in ten minutes. This means people can get on with their lives, not miss hospital appointments or the birth of a child while still allowing protest to take place.
We’ve joined the CPTPP making us a member of an £11 billion trade pact with the fastest growing region in the world.
And it is the economy and the cost of living that affect people the most and here there is good news too.
Inflation is falling rapidly now, and employment remains at record levels. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have had huge effects but we are weathering them with responsible economic policies while still offering substantial support to those who need it most.
In my last week at The Commons, I met the Secretary of State about our new hospital, the Rail Minister about ticket office closures and the Sports Minister about Eastbourne Borough Football Club and their new season - all the while in London, my mind is always on Eastbourne.
And it’s brilliant to be home now. I have a very full program of local meetings, surgeries, visits, and events over this next six weeks, so I very much hope to see you out and about.
