Claire Perry

By the time you read this column, we will know if a General Election will take place in mid-December. As I have said, I plan to stand down and whilst I will be very sorry to no longer be your MP, it is clear that this Parliament is finding it almost impossible to deliver the Brexit people voted for - and without an election we will not find a majority and Parliament will continue to delay Brexit.

OVER the past three years I have received correspondence from many of my Constituents on Brexit and whilst I won’t spend time going over the past, suffice to say that I believe that the referendum result must be delivered – which is why I voted to trigger Article 50 and voted three times for a workable deal.

AS THE summer holidays and parliamentary recess draw to a close, it has been a pleasure to spend much of the last few weeks at home in Wiltshire.

BY the time this column is in print we will know who the new Prime Minister is going to be. While I don’t know the outcome at the time of writing, I would like to offer my congratulations to whoever wins; either candidate would be an excellent leader of our country.

THE headlines are dominated by leadership news and it is clear that first on any new PM’s agenda must be to deliver Brexit so we can move forward and invest in the opportunities of a post-Brexit global Britain. But to lead this country will require more, and our next PM must demonstrate their vision for the future and determination to deliver a country and society that works for everyone.

AS THE Prime Minister sees out her final few days in office, I have been reflecting on the honour it has been to serve this wonderful country under the dignified and committed leadership of Theresa May. She was undoubtably the first feminist Prime Minister, but I am confident she won’t be the last.

WHILE the scale and pace of movement in British politics is not unprecedented, it is certainly dizzying. As we reach the final stages of Brexit negotiations, the sense of urgency grows by the day - as does the frustration of so many of my constituents who want Parliament to 'just get on with it'.

IT has been a busy start to the new year, with Brexit continuing to dominate Parliament and the news.

IT has been another very busy year in Westminster and locally, with some significant challenges and great successes. In this downtime between the Christmas festivities and the start of the New Year, I thought I would take the opportunity to look at some of the highlights of the last year.

IT’S been another busy month, starting with events to mark the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. I’m always filled with a huge amount of pride to see the heartfelt tributes paid to the members of our Armed Forces, past and present, on Remembrance Day, and this year has been a particularly poignant opportunity to recognise the enormous sacrifice they make to keep us safe. I was delighted to join hundreds of veterans, serving members of our Armed Forces, their families and those who wanted t