Last Saturday was particularly busy; the day began with the Romsey stream clean and litter pick which is always a wonderful demonstration of local people taking pride in their community. I have been taking part in this event for about the last 15 years and am still stunned by the amount of litter we all pick up. I am, as ever, grateful to all those who organise these mornings for the work they put into keeping our town tidy.

In the afternoon I was pleased to meet a group of constituents who originally came to the mass lobby of MPs in Westminster as part of the ‘time is now’ day of action in the summer. Sadly, my ministerial duties at the time prevented me from attending the mass lobby, so I arranged to meet them back here in the constituency. We had a constructive discussion in which we all broadly agreed on the action which needs to be taken to tackle climate change, but I reiterated that some of the more aggressive protests – such as trying to cover the Treasury in fake blood – are, in this current climate, a little misguided. On Tuesday morning I also took part in the debate on the net zero emissions target in Westminster Hall, having pledged to constituents to use my new freedoms to speak on environmental issues.

Also on Tuesday I took the opportunity to raise the case of my constituent, Mrs Matcham, with the Justice Secretary. Her grandson, Bradley, was tragically killed by a single punch to the head and his killer received just two years in prison for his crime. Clearly, Bradley’s entire family are both upset and concerned about the prospect of this individual being released on licence after a very short period in prison and I asked the Justice Secretary to keep the families of victims in mind when making decisions on sentences.

MP for Romsey and Southampton North, Caroline Nokes