It has been the privilege of my life to serve as the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield, Marlow and the South Bucks villages for the last 4 ½ years. When I entered Parliament in 2019 the British people had sent a clear message that they wanted Brexit done. I was proud to play my part in delivering on that commitment to the British people.  At that time though, none of us could have foreseen that to swiftly follow was the pandemic and then war returning to Europe with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. It has certainly been a time of global unprecedented challenges.

As an MP much of your work happens away from the glare of the Westminster drama and I am proud of what I was able to achieve for constituents.  Working with colleagues across the chamber, one of my proudest moments was securing vital improvements to the Domestic Abuse Act.  I also passionately believe that my role as an MP is to talk truth to power on behalf of constituents, and that is why during Covid I was so vocal about what I believed were the excessive curtailing of our personal freedoms, the unacceptable separation of people from the loved ones in their last moments and the need to get children back into school.

Locally, I have been determined to honour my promises to people from 2019.  I immediately moved into the constituency as promised and now love living in one of the beautiful South Bucks villages.  Like many families, I exhausted my personal savings and stretched myself to afford my home – and so I understand the challenges that mortgage rates and cost of living have brought to many households.

That is why I am so determined to see taxes now come down for people.  I am, and always have been, a Conservative who believes people should keep more of their own money.  Government support like furlough and the Energy support scheme were vital at key moments to help people – and there was always going to be a need to pay them back.  But now our economy is one of the fastest growing amongst the major nations, it is time to start cutting taxes and I am glad the Government started that journey with the national insurance cuts.

I also made a clear commitment to do all I could to protect the Green Belt - and I have done that. I was delighted that the Marlow Film Studios was recently rejected.  It was a development that would have wreaked havoc on Marlow’s roads and led to the permanent loss of vital Green Belt.  With residents, I have also stood firm against developments like the Ivers data centres and Broad Lane, Holtspur.  I am deeply concerned by Labour’s proposal for a ‘Grey Belt’ under which I fear they would try and designate much of our Green Belt in South Bucks and undo the protections we enjoy.

Finally, as the election campaign is in full swing I look forward to meeting many of you on the doorsteps and in hustings as I seek your support to serve again as your local champion.  Now more than ever our precious democracy and the freedom of speech it brings is something to be cherished.

📢 "Why wait for news? With Bucks Free Press get real-time updates directly on our ad-free app. Subscribe for unlimited access to our digital edition and enjoy 80% fewer ads on our website. Click here to find out more about how to get your news, your way, every day. #UnlimitedNews #AdLightExperience" 📢