While the last general election in July already feels like an age ago, in the last three months the new government has been working flat out to deliver the change our town, and our country, demands and deserves - even if what you read online and in some parts of the media doesn’t always reflect that.
Let’s be honest, it hasn’t been plain sailing, but it was never going to be.
We are, though, emerging from the chaos that has held our country back for too long and finally heading in the right direction.
That’s not to say the challenge isn’t anything short of immense. We’ve been left with a big blackhole in our public finances and public services under immense strain.
This has resulted in the government having to make a small number of incredibly difficult decisions. Whilst these have been widely reported, the vast majority of decisions this government has made have been to enact positive changes that will help put our country back on track.
There’s no time to waste. That’s why the new government has swiftly ended the public sector strikes, which have crippled our NHS and our public transport network.
By finally coming to an agreement with millions of workers - including thousands locally - this government has started the process of rebuilding our public services and making them fit for the future.
The government’s mission to rebuild our public services is also why there are Bills to nationalise our railways, establish GB Energy, and give communities control over local bus services, currently making their way through Parliament. Once passed, these pieces of legislation will deliver better public transport and help lower energy bills for good.
For those currently renting, we’ve introduced the Renters’ Rights Bill to Parliament which will protect tenants by banning Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and strengthening renters' rights. We also understand the urgent need to house our veterans, young care leavers, and victims of domestic abuse facing homelessness - and we will do just that.
Our government has also taken decisive action on illegal immigration and securing our borders. The Rwanda Plan gimmick has been scrapped and replaced by the Border Security Command - set up to stop illegal Channel crossings.
The work is already paying off - with new figures showing Channel crossings falling to their lowest point in four years.
This government also dealt firmly with the riots following the tragic Southport attack, and acted swiftly to restore peace and order, demonstrating that we will not hesitate to protect our communities.
As Security Minister, I’ve led on introducing Martyn’s Law to Parliament, after years of delay. This bill will strengthen the security of public events and venues and make them better prepared to respond to terrorist attacks.
We’ve also followed through on our promise to be tough on waste and create a Covid Corruption Commissioner to recover public money lost to fraud and dodgy PPE contracts, with the first investigations already underway.
This has all been achieved in less than 100 days, and whilst we’ve had to make incredibly tough decisions, these first three months have shown that this government is committed to putting our country back on track.
