ALL week, my constituency postbag has been full of comments from constituents anxious about the UK’s involvement in international action against Isil in Iraq – some calling for firm and decisive action and others passionately opposed to any military engagement in the region.

My feeling is that the recall of Parliament last Friday happened at a point where we could no longer avoid facing up to the threat facing our country.

It is an incredibly uncomfortable decision to have to make – no one ever wants to have to vote for war, whatever the reason.

However, setting aside how we came to this point, the barbaric slaughter of so many innocents demanded a response, when dialogue is not an option.

I am concerned about the sufficiency of the steps we have taken and I think the extent of our involvement will need to remain under review.

In some places, the border between Iraq and Syria is so porous as to be practically non-existent and the PM himself stated that there are no immediate solutions to the proliferation of extremism. However, this is not about the UK and the USA solving the Middle East’s problems: weapons can defeat terrorists but only good governance can defeat terrorism.

There is a clear need for an inclusive and democratic Government in Iraq that reflects the views of the moderate majority and can drive back the Isil forces permanently.

Nevertheless, this does not mean we should simply ignore the problem while we work to build that capability: our security services have disrupted six planned attacks in Europe and two British citizens remain hostages. I believe it would be unacceptable for us to ignore this threat.

It was a pleasure to be able to attend the launch of a new retail outlet in Downton on Saturday and to drop in on the Bourne Valley Link Scheme’s anniversary celebrations.

There was just time to attend the Bridge Project’s 20th anniversary celebration and commissioning service at St Thomas’s on Sunday before heading to Birmingham for a packed few days at party conference.

I will be back on Wednesday just in time for a bumper surgery, rescheduled from last Friday.