Following my return to the MOD as Minister for Defence People, I had a pierhead jump to the Falklands to represent the Government at Remembrance and the 40th anniversary of the war. It was a such a privilege to meet veterans of the conflict. It was also an opportunity to chat to some of the 1,700 service and civilian personnel and their families that we keep at Mount Pleasant to prevent a repetition of the Argentinian invasion.
At COP27 in Egypt the UK continued to take a leading role in attempts to clean up the planet. The energy crisis has shown how important it is to remove a reliance on cheap hydrocarbons from the equation, not least given the willingness of some producer nations to blackmail others. Much better to use the resources we and our neighbours have. That means, for example, and in the short term, transition hydrocarbons from within our own jurisdiction and, increasingly, renewables, plus nuclear for baseload.

I was encouraged by measures in the budget to get this going but we really are going to have to move fast. I’m still plugging that interconnector with Morocco – it would quickly deliver reliable solar and wind power to our homes and businesses at a reasonable price.
No-one likes to pay tax and most people would prefer someone else to do the coughing up. However, after an economy-rocking pandemic, a full-blown energy crisis and an ongoing war in Europe, it’s a bit naive to imagine living standards would not take a hit. A hit is what we are now experiencing, as is every other country in the western world.
However, the budget has protected things people say they want the most, notably healthcare and education. It has kept growth-boosting infra-structure projects going and ensured that those with least are sheltered as far as possible from the worst of the downturn.

The Opposition has not offered an alternative beyond the ideological – for example, a full-frontal attack on independent schools and the prospect of open borders. Now I do understand the Opposition’s need to dangle some red meat in front of its activists. However, hammering independent schools as proposed would have dire practical consequences, including for many of my constituents wherever their children are schooled. In my patch it would certainly put more pressure on class sizes, likely challenge the viability of at least one big employer and lose a potent source of taxable foreign earnings. Not great.