This week, Aylesbury MP Rob Butler writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers. He writes:

Recent weeks in politics have been dominated by the race to become the new leader of the Conservative Party – and therefore Prime Minister.

From the day Boris Johnson announced his decision to step down, I have supported Liz Truss to take over.

I had recently been appointed her Parliamentary Private Secretary, and already seen at first-hand that she has the qualities needed in Number 10.

She has both breadth and depth of experience in Government, having been a minister in six different departments ranging from Environment to Justice.

She has a record of getting things done, whether post-Brexit trade deals that critics said would be impossible or finally securing the release of British dual nationals in Iran.

She has a clear vision and a pragmatic plan for our economy – two years as Chief Secretary to the Treasury mean she has an impeccable understanding of how to unlock the barriers to growth.

On the issues that matter most in Bucks, Liz has the right answers.

She wants to get rid of planning targets imposed in Whitehall so that local communities like ours can decide for ourselves the right number of houses to build and the right places to build them.

And in a welcome change from the past, she has pledged to give more backing to the self-employed and our smaller firms – something I have been pushing for since my election, not least because Bucks has more microbusinesses than any other county in the country.

All three of Buckinghamshire’s current Conservative MPs who can pledge public support for a candidate are backing Liz (as a Government whip, Joy Morrissey MP is required to remain impartial).

We are the people who have been in Parliament for the past two and a half years, who have seen the candidates up close through Covid, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and then the current economic challenges.

We don’t always agree on every single issue, but we do agree that Liz Truss is the right person to be our new Prime Minister. She can be trusted to deliver for our economy and for our country.