Firstly, a Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family, however you celebrated. I always find the start of the new year a great moment for reflection. 2023 has been a year which has been more politically stable in the UK than some recent years, but internationally events have not been so settled.
Headlines have been dominated by events in the Middle East, and as I write the humanitarian pause has ended, with a resumption of hostilities. We will continue to provide humanitarian support to the region, and continue call for the release of all hostages and for a diplomatic solution to be found. We also continue to support Ukraine, and I was pleased that the new Foreign Secretary’s first mission visit was to see President Zelensky to underline our support for their struggle against Russian aggression.
Here in Dorset over the last year I have received over 6,000 emails and letters from constituents. My team and I have responded with over 5,000 emails and letters, and I have sent over 10,000 surveys – asking you for your views on a range of issues, for me to feed back to Ministers. But being an MP is not about numbers – it is about people. Every week, local residents get in touch needing help with a wide range of problems. Perhaps their visa application for a family member has got held up, or their application for a new broadband connection has been refused. Or their Ofsted registration for their new nursery business has got stuck along the way, and needs investigating. Maybe they have tried to get answers from a business, or government department, or they need answers to a question that no-one seems to be able to solve. We have helped with all these issues and more last year - I always say I do not have a magic wand – would that I did! But my team and I will do our utmost to help if we can.
The Prime Minister has asked me to take on a new role in Government. I am now the Illegal Migration Minister, and will be attending Cabinet. Illegal Migration is an important issue, and one that I know concerns many of you. I will be working in the Home Office, alongside other ministers, and the Home Secretary. My constituency work will continue alongside this role, as it did when I was Solicitor General – so you will still see out and about as usual.
