I want to thank the people of Rugby and Bulkington for putting their confidence in me at last week's election. I look forward to continuing to serve all of my constituents over the new Parliamentary term whether they supported me or not this time round.
The result in Rugby was a strong endorsement with the Conservative vote growing by almost 4000 and the share of the vote also increasing to 54%. This followed on from some very strong results for the Conservatives in the recent County Council elections which demonstrated the great confidence local people have for our Party, and our track record, here in Rugby and Bulkington.
The overall result nationally for the Conservatives was of course disappointing despite returning by far the most MPs, securing the most votes across the country, and winning the election. Given that the Conservatives are by far the biggest Party in Parliament it is only right that Theresa May is now forming a Government.
What disappoints me most about the election campaign was that the Conservatives did not focus on our strong record on the economy. Since 2010 we have seen record economic growth, record job creation and the highest employment levels on record. These are incredible achievements given where the country was in 2010.
The election results have clearly highlighted the concerns that people have over funding for our public services, in particular the NHS and our schools, and the cap on public sector wages. I accept that the Government needs to address these concerns but it was always the intention of my Party to do so with £4bn extra pledged for schools and £8bn pledged for the NHS in our manifesto.
I am confident that those concerns will be addressed but we must do so in a responsible manner. We must not repeat the mistakes of previous Governments and spend recklessly which would put our economic recovery and our country’s future at risk.
It is clear that people want to see some relaxation of the constraints placed on public spending but it would be irresponsible to spend money we do not have. All Conservatives want to see more money for our public services and wages increased; it is at the very centre of everything we believe. Our job in Government is now to work towards those priorities whilst also protecting our nation’s future.
Mark