The jobs figures published last week were, by any standards, remarkable. Not only do we have a record number of people in work, we have the lowest unemployment rate for 42 years (4.3%). We are set to overtake Japan and Germany to lead the world’s advanced economies in terms of employment.

As a Minister in the Department for International Trade I had the opportunity to speak in a Westminster Hall Debate this week on Foreign Investment into the UK.

The link for the full debate is posted below but the following are some of the points I raised during my speech.

The big event this week has been the passing of the first stage of the Great Repeal Bill – the bill that’s starts the technical process of exiting the EU and passing into law the vast array of EU laws, regulations and court judgements that means our laws are fully compliant with EU laws on the fi

Last week, I brought Hospitals Minster Philip Dunne MP to visit Kidderminster Hospital.

Theresa May has announced new measures to tackle obscene pay levels for senior executives. The proposals include a public register that names and shames high pay, and  how shareholders vote on pay settlements. This goes further than the existing rules and I  welcome them.

I was once told by an American state governor that in politics, if you stray too far from the middle of the road, you end up in the gutter of politics.

Those of us old enough will recall what it is like to live in a world threatened by nuclear war. Until the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, there were periods of heightened concern that we would all be blown to smithereens, or die a horrible death in a nuclear winter.

I have been very conscious that as an MP, I am the only national level politician available to residents of Wyre Forest. This is important because despite having the biggest vote share, many people do not subscribe to my party’s views.

Gender pay equality is something that is rarely far below the public consciousness. For centuries, women have suffered inequalities: lower wages are one such problem, but others include not having the vote until 1918, but only over the age of 30.

The term “nimby”, or “nimby-ism”, is one that is frequently used to refer to people who obstinately refuse to allow progress in their community; to refuse change – ‘not in my back yard’. But I see Nimby-ism as something that helps communities keep what is good.