I am More Determined Than Ever to Secure a Prosperous Future for Windsor

It was a moving moment to be unanimously readopted as the candidate by the Windsor Conservative Association, back in 2013. To receive their endorsement means a lot to me, and has enabled me to continue focussing my energies on fighting for the things that matter to residents.

Having come from a pretty tough background in South East London it is a huge privilege to have served as the MP for Windsor since 2005. We’ve achieved a lot since then, but there is so much more to do and I am determined to see it through if re-elected in May.

2015 will be an important year for the future of Windsor constituents and our country. With the General Election just 12 weeks away we face perhaps the starkest choice in a generation.

We face threats and opportunities across our constituency from Colnbrook to Binfield and everywhere else in between. I am determined to continue to fight the third runway at Heathrow and its hundreds of thousands more flights to the end, so that people can travel without log-jam road congestion and enjoy our beautiful environment during the day, while sleeping peacefully at night. I want to see through the flood alleviation scheme to its completion so that thousands of homes are protected and the Windsor community can continue to thrive during extreme weather. And I want to continue working with local residents and councillors to prevent insensitive overdevelopment. Above all, I want to fight for the Conservatives to retain control of the local council so that residents can enjoy the 30% reduction in council tax, the rewards-for-recycling scheme and free on-street parking in the Royal Borough. All these things are at risk if anyone other than Conservatives are elected locally.

On a national level, it seems to me that we also have a clear choice in May: security and stability with the Conservatives or risk chaos with any other party.

On the one hand, Ed Miliband and Labour offer only more of the same old high-tax, reckless-spending and debt. On the other hand, the Conservatives offer to calmly complete the recovery with a long-term economic plan that is clearly already working.

The Conservative-led Government has made huge progress: tackling unfair benefits so that work always pays, giving our children the skills they need to succeed, removing tax burdens from millions of working families and making it easier and cheaper for businesses to hire new employees.

But the task is far from done. The huge deficit left behind by Labour in 2010 means that the Government is still paying more in debt interest every year than on educating our children or protecting our country. Whilst those who have found jobs this year is at a record, there are still too many looking for the security and dignity that comes with paid work. To turn away from the plan that has put Britain at the top of the jobs and growth league tables would endanger everything that’s been achieved so far.

We need enterprise to continue to thrive and create jobs; we need great levels of social mobility so that you can get on in life irrespective of where you were born. And we need to relentlessly protect our area and our country in the interests of constituents and all British citizens.

These issues are important and I relish the challenge. Our country’s future is in the balance. If elected to serve as Windsor’s representative once again, I will continue to campaign tirelessly on the national and local issues that really matter to people and will hope to continue to play my part in rebuilding our nation and improving and protecting our area.