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Celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee at a spectacular street party in Lenham
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A week is a long time in politics, and these past few weeks in Westminster have felt particularly long.
Earlier this month I resigned from Government, after two and a half years as a Minister. Throughout that time my first responsibility has been to my constituents in Faversham and Mid Kent, but being a Minister gives you opportunities to do more - not only for your constituents but for people across the country. So resigning was hard to do.
Over the last few months my inbox has had a steady flow of emails criticising the Prime Minister, particularly for things that went on in 10 Downing Street during the pandemic. Anyone who has written to me will know that I have defended Boris Johnson, accepting his apologies and pointing to his vision and leadership of the country through difficult times.
But there are only so many times a leader can apologise and move on. I felt that moment had been passed. We now have a leadership contest giving us the chance to reunite between a new leader, and I’m proud to be backing Rishi Sunak to be our next Prime Minister.
I have known Rishi since 2015 when we were both elected to Parliament and have worked alongside him in the Treasury. Right now the biggest challenges facing us are about the economy, and crucially how we tackle the rising cost of living. The next Prime Minister will need to get inflation under control, get our economy growing and bring down the debts we built up through the pandemic. I know Rishi is up to the job. His grip of economic questions and his judgement is second to none.
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While I may no longer be in Government, I’m continuing to work hard as your local MP. In the past few weeks, I’ve asked a number of parliamentary questions, including what is being done to improve access to primary care services and NHS dentists in Faversham and Mid Kent.
Parliament is now on summer recess, but there is plenty of work to do away from Westminster – from fighting our corner about Operation Brock, to getting investment in our wastewater network, and supporting people struggling with the cost of living.
Summer got off to a great start with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend. I dropped into some of the fabulous events, and wow they were wonderful - from beacon lightings and tree plantings, to fetes, fairs and street parties, proms in parks and uplifting church services. Huge thank you to everyone involved particularly to event organisers who I know spent months planning and preparing to make it all happen on the day.
It was great to be back at the Kent Show earlier this month after two years away because of Covid. It gave me the chance to catch up with some of our local farmers. Concerns about the shift to the new Environmental Land Management scheme and access to labour were top of the list, and I'll be taking these up with ministers when Parliament returns in the autumn.
Faversham at one time held the top spot for having the highest recorded temperature in the UK. But all records have been smashed following the recent heatwave. Our emergency services have been doing a truly outstanding job coping with increased calls in extreme heat.
Both in Westminster and across the country, I’m hoping for cooler and calmer times ahead. I wish you all a very enjoyable summer.
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I'm backing Rishi to lead us through these tough times and drive economic growth
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Google Digital Garage comes to Maidstone
I co-hosted a free workshop so that experts from Google could teach local businesses digital skills.
Read more about the day
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Boost for Brenley Corner upgrade
I've called time and again for improvements at the junction, and so it's great to hear that the next phase of work has got the green light.
Find out more
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Caring for our carers
I met up with talking wellness, a service looking after local NHS staff's mental health. I recently nominated them for a parliamentary award for one of their brilliant schemes.
Read more about their amazing work
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Unwelcome return for Operation Brock
I called a meeting with Kent Resilience Forum and local Parish Councils to highlight the impact it's having on our roads.
Find out what we discussed
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My Business Newsletter takes off
I've started a quarterly update for local businesses to flag local and Government grants and support.
Read the first and sign up here
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New plan to tackle noise pollution
I've put Faversham forward for the Government's noise camera trials - new tech that catches noisy engines breaking the legal limits.
Find out which road here
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More support for electric vehicles
I’ve called on our local Parish Councils to apply for the Government’s On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
Read more here
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Maritime Minister on board for bridge works
I spoke with Minister Robert Courts to ask for the Government's support in getting our new swing bridge built.
Click here for an update
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Magna Carta display gets under way
Years of campaigning to get Faversham's Magna Carta on display have finally paid off! I joined the Mayor for the official opening.
Learn more here
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Please pass this email onto anyone you think might be interested and encourage them to sign up to these newsletters on my website, here.
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