GIVEN recent developments, I thought that Forester readers might be interested in an update on what’s been happening at Westminster.

On October 20, Liz Truss announced her resignation as Prime Minister.

I do not doubt that she acted with the best of intentions, trying to stimulate growth in the economy, but she did nonetheless make serious mistakes and was right to resign.

A leadership contest was triggered and Rishi Sunak emerged as the only candidate with enough support amongst MPs.

Last Tuesday His Majesty the King invited Rishi Sunak to form a Government.

Rishi will work tirelessly to put right the mistakes that have been made – putting economic stability and confidence at the heart of his government’s agenda.

I am pleased to see Rishi in Downing Street. I spent the summer campaigning for him because I believe he is the right man for the job.

When Covid struck, it was Rishi who worked at breakneck speed to introduce schemes like furlough, protecting millions of jobs and thousands of businesses.

I know it remains a concerning time for many families across the Forest of Dean but I hope you will be reassured by Rishi’s assurances that he will bring the same compassion to the challenges we face today.

You may also be aware that the new Prime Minister has appointed me as the Secretary of State for Transport.

I am delighted to be back in the Cabinet, working on something that affects all of us.

I am looking forward to getting to grips with my new brief and tackling transport related challenges so that we can deliver for communities across our whole United Kingdom.

However, do rest assured that I will continue to work diligently as your local MP, just as I have done for the last 17 years.

This Saturday I enjoyed attending the reopening of the Rising Sun at Woodcroft – it is a wonderful pub and community hub that will serve the community well, and I was pleased to help it secure £175,000 of Government funding to help bring it back to life.

Contact me:  [email protected] | www.markharper.org | House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA | @Mark_J_Harper | facebook.com/mark.harper.fod