It has been the privilege of a lifetime to represent the area

The country needs strong and secure leadership, and a government with a clear mandate to deliver economic success and domestic reform. I believe the Conservatives, under Theresa May, are best placed to do that.

I will be seeking a new mandate as Wealden’s MP too. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to represent the area and its people during the two years since I was elected in 2015. I have worked hard, alongside ministers and local councillors, to deliver strong representation.

Together, we have worked to strengthen the local economy, with unemployment at just 0.9%. We campaigned to avoid a second runway at Gatwick, and did just that, securing changes to flight paths to bring much-needed relief for local communities too. 89.3% of the constituency now has superfast broadband coverage, thanks to campaigning in Westminster for government intervention.

I am proud to have secured stronger protections for pregnant women detained in immigration centres. As chairman of All-Party Groups on Ageing and Older People, as well as Visual Impairment, I have been able to stand up for the interests and rights of vulnerable people. As parliamentary representative for the Conservative Rural Affairs Group I have championed rural business and the farming industry, and my position on the Home Affairs Select Committee has enabled me to hold the Government to account on policing, security and immigration policy.

More recently, my job as chairman of the Government’s Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network has allowed me to build on my work as chairman of the East Sussex Enterprise Advisers Network to make sure that opportunities for career advancement are available to all, reflecting my belief in the importance of aspiration.

I am as surprised as anyone to be campaigning in an election so soon after the last one, but I am ready and excited to defend my record. If I am lucky enough to be re-elected, I will pledge myself once more to continue serving the constituents of Wealden to the best of my ability.