I’m delighted to be working with other Kent MPs to host the third annual Maidstone Apprenticeship Fair.

Apprenticeships are a great way of learning while earning, and getting valuable qualifications at the same time. But we often don’t value them enough.

This New Year is an exciting moment for our country. 

It’s a time to move on from past divisions, and be optimistic about the future.

Our Parliament has new energy and purpose to deliver on people’s priorities.

I’ve received assurances from the Post Office that the branch in Faversham is fully staffed and operating as normal.

I am delighted to have been re-elected as Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent. Being an MP is a huge responsibility and I’m humbled that so many people have put their trust in me once again.

I visited artists taking part in East Kent Artists’ Open Houses this year.

It was great to see 17 houses and studios in Faversham taking part in this year’s event, creating a separate ‘Faversham trail’ for people to explore.

Since the first draw took place on 19 November 1994, the National Lottery has changed lives.

In the last 25 years the National Lottery has raised over £22 million for charities in Faversham and Mid Kent.

I recently visited Simpsons Wine Estate in Barham in my new role as Minister for Tourism.

The visit was an opportunity to see how Kent’s booming food and drink sector can attract more visitors to the county and increase tourism revenue for local businesses.

It was fantastic to attend the official opening of Foodie’s Emporium in Headcorn on 20 September.

I love buying local produce and Foodie’s is full of that – local cheeses, locally made bread, local wine – giving locals and visitors to Headcorn plenty of reasons to shop there.

The constituency and the country voted to Leave and I have been supporting the Prime Minister to get on with the job of taking us out of the EU. The negotiations have been difficult – which we always knew they were going to be.

Recovering from the financial crash was never going to be easy, and the latest growth forecasts suggest there’s a way to go. But there was good news for the economy in last week’s budget. We have the lowest unemployment since the 1970s and rising wages for the lowest paid.