In last week’s column, I talked about the process in Parliament that was underway to narrow down the number of candidates in the election to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.
Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor, finished top in voting among Conservative MPs, with Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, finishing in second place. The job of MPs was to settle on a final two candidates who would each be a viable candidate for Prime Minister. I think both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are viable candidates but, as I explained in last week’s column, Rishi Sunak is the candidate I will be backing.
Our next Prime Minister will have to take some very difficult decisions on the economy in the coming weeks and months, so it’s a good thing that there will be a number of TV debates as well as other events where the candidates can be put through their paces.
I believe that inflation, which has been largely made worse by global factors such as supply chain issues in China and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has to be got under control before we can look at reducing the tax burden, which is why I am supporting Rishi’s sensible plan. Immediate tax cuts risk making the inflation challenge worse and may also end up putting interest rates up by as much as 7%, which could be bad news for those with mortgages.
Meanwhile, the work of being a local MP continues. Parliament may now have risen for the Summer Recess, but MPs still have plenty of work to be getting on with in their constituencies. Recess does not equal a holiday!
In the past few days, I have been out and about speaking to residents in Coleford with local Councillor Carole Allaway Martin and have met with apprentices at the AccXel Construction Skills Accelerator in Cinderford. I look forward to getting out and about across the Forest during the Summer, as I do every year, and will also continue to work through constituents’ emails and letters as my office and I do what we can to help people across the Forest.
