Straight out of the starting blocks, the new PM and his Government have got to work with energy and zest - not just on Brexit, but on vital domestic policy. At last we are seeing a sense of urgency and real action on the issues that matter.
It’s so refreshing, so invigorating - once again politics is about changing lives for the better.
Ever since Parliament set about the shameful task of trying to block Brexit, politics became stagnant and deeply frustrating. The anti-Brexit brigade may congratulate themselves on delaying Brexit, but what about hospitals, crime, and schools? So fanatical were the anti-Brexit parliamentarians, that they put everything else on ice. All the issues my constituents care about were shelved, as ever more arcane devices were dreamt up to pitch Parliament against the people.
Boris Johnson and his new team are putting a stop to all that. Brexit is happening on 31st October ‘come what may’ - now let’s get on with everything else.
First up has been upgrading A&Es across the country, with £1.8 billion extra funding for capital projects. That gives me hope for Telford’s A&E and our Women and Children’s Unit.
Next, was a commitment to tackling crime with an extra 20,000 police officers, new powers for police to stop and search, 10,000 new prison places and an immediate review of sentencing law. This will see serious sexual and violent offenders no longer eligible for automatic early release. Automatic early release was a travesty which made a mockery of our justice system. We saw it first hand in Telford with the Mubarek Ali case, where a 22-year sentence, meant a serious sexual offender was out 5 years after the sentence was handed down. Fortunately, he is back in prison after a breach of his licence conditions, but he should never have been let out early.
Then there has been a commitment to shake up of immigration post Brexit, to move to an Australian based points system, letting in skilled workers we so badly need from across the world.
Whatever your views on Boris Johnson, here is a man with boundless energy, in a hurry to make up for lost time and determined to restore our faith in democracy. And you know what - it’s infectious. Boris Johnson and his new cabinet are spreading energy and optimism and I am proud to be part of it.
