After a long, hot summer, I am pleased to not start this edition of my column referring to the spate of wildfires as “ongoing”. I reiterate my thanks to every organisation for their efforts in tackling these horrific incidents.

Now we are into the wetter months, I think it is only right to reflect on the final few weeks of a political career that ended with a damp whimper. Sir Keir Starmer owes his political career to the Labour Party, it made him an MP, and then PM, a position he only had to resign from due to his inability to lead the country and keep his party united, yet he has left them in the lurch.

Poignantly, in another U-turn, despite previously saying he would remain as an MP, he has decided to resign. He made this announcement on the first day his successor spoke in the Commons, which I think shows nothing more than pettiness.

As a result, the residents of Holborn and St Pancras will now face a by-election. Whilst not a natural Conservative stronghold, I know our candidate will put forward a strong and decisive message of fiscal responsibility, and a way to move our country forward, and I wish them all the best.

Under Labour, inflation is higher, youth and general unemployment are up, there is now a 20% tax on the family farm and school fees, petrol and diesel are more expensive, borrowing has increased, along with employers NI and the energy price cap. Rishi Sunak warned us all that Keir Starmer and Labour would tax us, and they both did.

Burnham’s honeymoon period is certainly over. Only this past week, he said that national security cannot come at the expense of social security. At a time when we have war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the threat to the United Kingdom continues to rise, we have a PM who said he would fund defence and get the welfare bill down, yet u-turned, and is now prioritising the ballooning benefits bill over our national security.

By contrast, the Conservatives are re-building a party that is fit again for office, and Kemi’s recent re-shuffle underpins this. The outgoing team steadied the ship, rebuilt our economic credibility, and allowed us to become an effective opposition.

The new team has the Conservatives ready to take on Andy Burnham’s Labour and Reform, demonstrating that we are the only party that will support businesses and residents, all whilst taking our national security seriously.