The December general election saw a tectonic shift in our country’s politics. Across the nation including here in Crawley, we saw thousands of people vote Conservative for the first time, many of whom had previously always voted Labour.

When we came to office we promised to unite and level up, spreading opportunity across the whole United Kingdom.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed news that Crawley Borough Council will receive an extra £300,750 to tackle rough sleeping this year to support some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed the confirmation that secondary schools in West Sussex are guaranteed at least £5,000 in per pupil funding, and every primary school at least £3,750 per pupil, thanks to new legislation introduced by the Government.

It’s a good thing that planning rules have been relaxed for housing. Our Conservative Government direction is full steam ahead. This not only helps those who want to extend their homes but is also a great boost for new housing and for the economy. However, nationally since 2017, nearly 40,000 retrospective planning applications have been made with one in eight being rejected by local authorities.

Watch the Prime Minister's fireside address to the nation, about our future outside of the European Union, here. Find it here before anywhere else.

Henry Smith MP has spoken in the second reading of the NHS Funding Bill (on Monday, 27th January) in support of the Government’s plans to enshrine in law its commitment to increase funding for the National Health Service, and has called for further improvements to provision in Crawley.

2019 was a year of political turmoil, with a disruptive House of Commons that sought to find any way possible to stop the democratic 2016 referendum result for the UK to leave the EU. It was an unedifying spectacle and a lot of trust was lost in politicians because of it, including the appalling then-Speaker of the House who presided over it all. It really had become a political war of attrition and my view was that regardless of whether you were for ‘leave’ or ‘remain’, there was a more fundamental principle of democracy at stake that meant Brexit must be delivered. Also, most people outside of the Westminster bubble and the Islington Metropolitan elite, just wanted to get Brexit resolved and to move on.

Henry Smith MP attended the RSPCA’s event in the House of Commons (on Wednesday, 22nd January) and met with Chief Executive Chris Sherwood to hear about their Generation Kind initiative which helps teach compassion to new generations and the organisation’s work to protect animals in Crawley.

Henry Smith MP has signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment, in doing so pledging his commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day and honouring those who were murdered during the Holocaust, as well as paying tribute to the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people today.