After leading our country through one of the most challenging periods we have experienced in decades, the Prime Minister’s decision last week to resign was the correct one.
As it became clear that this was the best way to ensure stable government without distractions, Boris Johnson stood down having got the major policy decisions of his premiership right.
As a result of his leadership, the 2016 decision of Crawley and UK-wide voters to leave the EU could finally be enacted, following years of those on the opposition benches seeking to overturn this democratic vote.
In recent years the world-leading Covid-19 vaccination programme, the historic COP26 international climate summit in Glasgow, and UK leadership at the forefront of supporting Ukraine, will be remembered for some time to come as the right action to take.
The focus must continue to be on the UK’s work to address cost of living pressures which are being felt around the world, and countering Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.
In this country we have a long-established convention where a Prime Minister remains in place until a successor, who will be able to command the confidence of the House of Commons, is asked to form a Government by the Queen.
I want to see this process undertaken swiftly so that the new Prime Minister can take office in as timely a manner as possible.
The work of Parliament continues while the focus of the national media remains across the road in Downing Street. This week I am on the House of Commons order paper twice to question the Work & Pensions Secretary and the Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Secretary.
A few days ago I was grateful for the opportunity to meet Crawley’s Alliance for Better Care staff at the NHS Parliamentary Awards in Westminster, to thank them for their work ensuring our community is vaccinated against Covid-19, and to offer my congratulations on their being named a Regional Winner in the category of Health Equalities.
Perhaps the most important development for families in Crawley over recent days will be noticed at the end of the month.
Last week saw the introduction of the single largest cut to personal taxes in a decade. The Government has increased the personal threshold for National Insurance to £12,570, from £9,500. This is a tax cut worth £6 billion to 30 million workers across the country.
This cut means the average worker will save up to £330 a year and for the first time, workers can earn up to £12,570 without paying a penny of Income Tax or National Insurance tax.
Henry Smith MP