First, I would like to start by wishing all my constituents a belated Happy Easter. And while the political calendar rests for the period, I have a chance to reflect upon the busy schedules that dominate a sitting Parliament and legislators like myself. One such example is the work of Bill Committees whereby legislation is scrutinised line by line in order to deliver an effective Bill to be debated in the House. Most recently, I sat on the Enterprise Bill Committee.
There are just two weeks to go until co-hosts Jo Churchill MP and Matthew Hancock MP, showcase in Parliament the finest local produce from West Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds, at the West Suffolk Food Fair.
Last week, I was granted the privilege of being selected as part of a British delegation, to attend the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW); the second biggest United Nations gathering in the calendar. This coveted event works to evaluate measures to promote democracy and gender equality, identify the challenges and set new global targets towards the advancement of women around the world.
On Wednesday 13th April, Jo Churchill MP will co-host with Matthew Hancock MP, a West Suffolk Food Fair to showcase the finest local produce from West Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds.
Jo Churchill MP has welcomed the Government’s commitment to creating apprenticeships at the launch of National Apprenticeship Week 2016, as growing numbers of people in the Bury St Edmunds constituency have started an apprenticeship.
As this week draws to a close, a devolution deal for East Anglia is being finalised with the intention of delivering our very own ‘Eastern powerhouse’. In doing so, we have a once in a generation chance for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire – three counties with similar economies and similar interests – to join together to deliver a joined up East Anglia and I for one, would like to see this happen.
Reflecting on my time in Parliament since May, one topic that has and will continue to dominate the agenda is defence; highlighted by the agreed air strikes in Syria and a vote on Trident due later this year. Having recently visited our own RAF Honington, attentions are now turning towards the future of our security particularly since the release of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) looking at the next decade of our defences.
On the 23rd June 2016 we will have one choice to make, to stay in or to leave the European Union. My vote will be to stay. My reason for doing so is not a blind love of the EU, but a pragmatism over the areas I believe are important in our world; namely trade and security, which for me add up to our collective ability to influence decision making on the world stage.
Following the announcement on Thursday 11th February from the Ministry of Justice to close Bury St Edmunds Magistrates Court “once suitable alternative local provision has been established”; Mrs Jo Churchill MP has been pushing the Ministry for assurances.
