I AM thrilled to be writing this as the new Conservative MP for Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Finchampstead.

Having been selected by Bracknell Conservatives as their candidate on November 8 and then elected at the snap General Election on December 12, the last two months have been a whirlwind but I am up for the challenge and cannot wait to get stuck in.

Please could I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported me during the campaign and to those who have placed their trust in me - I hope to be a force for good for Bracknell and a safe pair of hands.

Many commentators have referred to Boris Johnson’s decision to go to the polls as a gamble.

In truth, he had little choice as Parliament was paralysed by deadlock and something had to be done to break that toxic cycle of recrimination, division and inertia.

Many sitting MPs have referred to the Class of 2017 as a ‘dead Parliament’, so warmly welcomed the 107 new Conservative MPs as ‘the cavalry’.

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Indeed, with such a renewed spirit of optimism, there is no question that the Prime Minister will be given free rein to get a lot done during the next Parliament and I am enthused by what lies ahead.

My instinct is that this will be a more left-leaning Conservative Government than we have seen for years and that a new social agenda will be at the forefront, particularly the need for greater fairness, opportunity and levelling up for working families across the country. Boris has surprised many in the past and will continue to do so – he also has the clearest mandate for decades.

Locally in the Bracknell constituency, I intend to play my full part in supporting the Government, particularly in delivering Brexit and pushing our ambitious domestic agenda.

Strategically, the Prime Minister will be focused on retaining his new support in the North and Midlands but we have much to gain here too from new worldwide trade deals, a strong economy and enhanced investment.

With Bracknell at the heart of our own Silicon Valley on the M4, blessed by so many international companies and well-supported by our flagship unitary councils, I am confident that we have everything to gain from Brexit and that our proud record of employment, opportunity and prosperity will continue.

In terms of my own priorities, I intend to focus on exactly what was stated during the election campaign by working to improve our local services, including better social care, improved NHS facilities and more GPs.

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I do want to ensure that our constituency is a better place to live, work and play by supporting all those who have made their home here, empowering our young people with better schools, colleges and apprenticeships, promoting healthy living and leisure facilities and getting tougher on crime with more Police on our streets.

We must also preserve our green spaces, reduce congestion, protect the environment and carefully review our house-building programme. Above all, I want to run regular surgeries and be a visible, loyal and hard-working MP as a strong local champion.

Lastly, I was humbled last week to visit the excellent night shelter at Holy Trinity Church where I met many inspirational people, both in terms of volunteers and those needing support, including a handful of Army veterans.

This is personal for me and in my humble view, it is unforgivable that anyone should be living rough on our streets today when there is so much wealth around us.

Whilst I commend the good work being done by the Rough Sleepers Unit at Bracknell Forest Council and welcome the additional £360,000 of government funding, homelessness must be tackled as an immediate priority.