As I wrote my Letter from Westminster this time last year, we were a nation still deep in the throes of the Covid pandemic. Twelve months later, the darkest days of the pandemic are behind us but for those who lost loved ones, life will never be quite the same again.
The United Kingdom has a proud history of supporting those in need of protection. Since 2015, the UK has resettled over 27,000 refugees through safe and legal routes directly from areas of conflict and instability. This includes individuals from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.
As the days grow shorter and colder, we approach winter and can expect morning frosts and later sunrises. We are all concerned by the higher cost of our energy bills, as the global crisis caused by President Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine impacts us here in Shropshire.
Regular readers of this column will be aware that I have long been a supporter of Jeremy Hunt. I backed him for the leadership in 2019 and again earlier this summer. It will come as little surprise therefore, that I welcomed his appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer last week.