I cannot tell you how truly honoured I am to have been re-elected as Member of Parliament for South Suffolk. To receive over 60% of the vote is something I would never have dreamed of when I was first selected to stand here. I am sincerely grateful to all those who voted for me but also pledge to be an MP for all the constituency, including those who voted for other candidates or none. This does not mean I will always vote the way you agree, because there are many issues on which my constituents are divided or disagree with me. Rather, it’s recognising, in the spirit of the ‘One Nation’ Conservatism that I truly believe in, that our first duty is to one’s constituents and exercising what we truly believe to be the pursuit of their best interests. Well done to Emma Bishton for a very good performance, and I found that she was clearly well regarded and known widely when I knocked on doors.
In terms of the national vote, it goes without saying that this is not the result we had hoped for. The election was a voluntary choice, and we will be judged by that, but once you take the decision to call the election the final choice rests with the public and we have to now listen to how they have judged us at the ballot box. As far as the immediate future is concerned, our priority must be the national interest. That means ensuring that a stable Government is formed forthwith to provide certainty to investors, business owners and everyone with a stake in our country. We are a nation facing a very dark but all to real terrorist threat. We face imminent Brexit negotiations and all the usual decisions to be made in Government, day in day out. We simply need a Government in place to put a hand on the tiller. Of course, there will be a lot more pouring over the national result in the days ahead, and the inevitable noises off, but we need to focus on the basic priority of delivering stable Government.
For now, I have to start getting ready for the return to Westminster. At some point soon I will be getting on a train from Bures station to get back to what I hope will be my usual desk, to crack on with all the casework that has accrued whilst there has been no South Suffolk MP. I know that there will be a mountain of correspondence to get through so please bear with me as my fantastic team tries to get back on top of it all. But I am looking forward to once being able to respond formally as your MP, trying to help where I can.
Once again, I thank you for your support and will continue to try and do my best to be a strong voice for South Suffolk.