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.

However, they will also face enormous challenges: a country still divided over Brexit, a very narrow majority in Parliament and a looming deadline to find a way through the current Brexit impasse.

It is a tall ask, but I am confident that our new Prime Minister can succeed, so long as they work constructively with colleagues across the House, with businesses and

industry, and with our friends in Europe.

There has been a lot of talk in the last few weeks of the October deadline, and whether we should leave then, even without a deal. I have always maintained that leaving the EU without a deal is unnecessary given that we should be able to negotiate an arrangement that works for all.

However, I have also been clear that I will not engage in Parliamentary manoeuvres to try and block No Deal, as I think this dilutes our negotiating efforts and also risks not being able to deliver Brexit at all - which would be a serious departure of duty given the Referendum result.

But while Brexit carries on, so does much of my portfolio, and I have been continuing to champion policies to support rural areas such as ours.

For example, I recently organised the re-opening of the Rural Community Energy Fund. This £10 million programme has already helped over 150 rural communities plan projects which will support them to become cleaner and more sustainable, and I would urge our local councils and other organisations to bring forward some good Wiltshire-based projects to bid into the fund.