Monday saw the State Opening of Parliament – the formal beginning of a new Parliamentary session. The highlight of this ceremony is the Queen’s Speech where the Government outlines it priorities.

Motor Neuron Disease is a dreadful illness that affects many families across the constituency and the country.  That’s why, as your local MP, I have worked closely with the North Wiltshire Group of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

It was fantastic on Friday to be at Hop, Skip and Jump at Upper Shaw Ridge Farm for another visit. I am proud to have helped get this wonderful respite facility opened back in 2011. It does great work with children and their families.

On Sunday I laced up my running shoes and joined more than 2,000 other people in running the Swindon Half Marathon.

In 1840, Daniel Gooch was a Superintendent for the Great Western Railway when he penned a letter to the Chief Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, putting Swindon forward as the ideal location for the GWR’s new engine works.

The £25m investment for Swindon announced this week by my Cabinet colleague, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick, is hugely welcome news.  I worked hard within Government for the much-needed cash to be allocated to our town, and it’s a fantastic development we can all be proud of.

Tuesday saw the end of another busy summer recess period as Members of Parliament return to Westminster. As it has done for a while, the uncertainty surrounding the Brexit debate will dominate the news headlines.

As you may already know from reading my previous Adver columns and articles about events I have hosted and also attended, over the past 19 months, I have been working closely with Swindon Seniors Forum in a campaign to tackle loneliness in the town. 

August is usually a time when the pace of life slows slightly for many of us as breaks are taken.  Parliament is in recess, but it has been a phenomenally busy time for me and my constituency team as the hard work continues.

The start of my second full week as Justice Secretary saw me announce 10,000 new prison places funded by a £2.5bn injection of cash, which will create more modern, efficient prisons.  I also travelled with the Prime Minister to a prison in Leeds to announce a further £100m for prison security - m