The Conservatives will focus on Britain’s recovery from the pandemic

‘Covid-19 has highlighted the strength of our Union. We are at our best when we work towards a common goal, and nowhere is that more obvious than in our vaccination programme’

Iam, first and foremost, a member of Parliament. My job is rooted in democracy and the democratic process. As all elected representatives, I serve my constituents at their will and I am pleased that at every opportunity since first being elected in 2010, the people of Witham have returned me to Parliament with a larger percentage of the vote each time. That is why democracy is so important. The right to vote people in and out of office. The power to elect people who want to make changes you, the British people, want to see, and the power to turf people out of office who don’t deliver on their promises.

As Home Secretary, I am committed to democracy in action. That means protecting the rights of the many against violation from the few intent on causing harm and distress.

Take for example the Government’s flagship Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. This landmark legislation delivers on our election promise of backing our police by equipping officers with greater powers and the tools they need to keep themselves and all of us safe. It also introduces tougher sentences for the worst offenders, ends automatic halfway release for prisoners who have committed the most serious crimes and improves the efficiency of the court and tribunal system by modernising existing court processes.

Over the last few months we have seen a handful of protests against the

Bill, the largest of which was the ‘kill the bill’ protest in Bristol. Thugs, determined to cause trouble, hid behind the guise of a “peaceful protest” to attack the police, torch police vans and vandalise a police station. They waved placards dubbed with “ACAB” (All Cops Are Bastards), described the UK as a fascist state and accused the Government of an anti-democratic ban on protest. These arguments are not only divorced from reality but devoid of sense. They are also offensive to those around the globe who are protesting for basic freedoms and fundamental human rights.

The powers in the Bill that relate to protest will allow the police to manage disruptive protests, like those we saw when Extinction Rebellion brought London to a standstill for several days. The powers will help the police to balance the rights of protesters to demonstrate peacefully against the rights of others to go about their daily business, and to dedicate their resources to keeping the public safe.

That is democracy in action. This Thursday, people across the country will have the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights for the first time since the 2019 General Election.

You will have the opportunity to vote for people to deliver on your priorities. Mayors, councils, police and crime commissioners, a member of Parliament, MSPs, MSs – there are thousands of people standing for election on Thursday and there are millions of votes to be cast.

Without a doubt, these elections will be tough, any government in its eleventh year of office would find them so – but especially one who has been dealing with a global pandemic.

But on Thursday everyone must know the choice they face at the ballot box. You could vote for Labour candidates, who focus on scoring political points and vanity projects which communities do not want. Liberal Democrats, a party with a failing flip-flopping leader still focused on Brexit. Nationalists in Scotland and Wales who are intent on destroying the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen whilst avoiding the unanswered questions their independence would pose, and ignoring what people really want – to focus on our recovery from the pandemic.

This pandemic has highlighted in sharp relief the strength and resilience of our Union. We are at our strongest when we work together towards a common goal. We have supported jobs and businesses across the UK throughout the pandemic – including 1.7million jobs and 180,000 businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And nowhere is our collective strength more obvious than our vaccination programme.

So the alternative is brighter. You could vote for; councils who deliver better services and lower council tax, mayors who will champion their area and secure vital new investment, police and crime commissioners who help cut crime and put more officers on the streets, MSPs who will stop an SNP majority and get the Scottish Parliament 100 per cent focused on Scottish recovery, MSs who will deliver a recovery plan to create the jobs, hospitals and first class-schools the people of Wales deserve, and a member of Parliament who will focus on delivering the people’s priorities – the action you must take is simple. Vote Conservative.