It was my immense pleasure to be sworn in today as the Member of Parliament for Windsor for the fourth time; I could almost remember the pledge verbatim and the event remains unforgettable.

Irrespective of how people voted I am mindful that my role now is to represent all constituents during the course of this parliament.

As MP for the regal constituency of Windsor with its famous resident it always brings a smile when I make the oath:

‘I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.’

The Queen is our head of state and by swearing an oath we are making it clear that we will serve the national interest without fear or favour. Ultimately it is we elected MPs in Parliament who decide the laws of our land, not the Government.

This is particularly poignant today being sworn in within minutes of the Queen delivering the Royal address which laid out the Government’s legislative platform on exiting the EU over the next two years.

It seems to me that this is one of the most important Queen’s Speeches of my 12 years as an MP and, arguably, of my lifetime.

The reason is simple: Parliament is taking back control of our laws and with it control of our country’s destiny.

As a Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy I am particularly looking forward to Britain forging its own trade policy and building strong trade partnerships with countries across the world.

Whilst some of our manifesto commitments, most notably giving more children the opportunity to go to grammar schools, were not included in this speech it is important to remember that this is the agenda for the next 2 years, not the rest of the Parliament.

I feel more confident than ever that Britain’s most prosperous, meritocratic and outward looking days lie ahead and that this Conservative Government has the right plan and the right leadership to see us through.

 

ENDS

1.    Adam Afriyie is the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Ghana.

2.    He has a strong background in science, technology and innovation.

3.    He is currently Chairman of the Fintech APPG, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and President of the Conservative Technology Forum (CTF).

4.    He was Shadow Minister for Science from 2007-2010 and has a background in the information services and technology sector.

5.    He is Patron of the Parliamentary Space Committee (PSC) and was Chair of the PSC between 2010 and 2015.

6.    For more information on Adam’s platform, please see the ‘Campaigns’ section of this website.

7.    You can see Adam being sworn in here.

8.    A transcript of the Queen’s Speech can be found here.

9.    A list of the Bills in the Queen’s Speech can be found here.