Henry Smith MP has welcomed the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, to Gatwick Airport in Crawley (on Thursday, 18th January), where they met Border Force officers and discussed the importance of aviation to economic growth.
Henry Smith MP has spoken in Parliament in support of enhanced animal protections throughout the United Kingdom as the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill was approved by the House of Commons (on Monday, 15th January).
Next month will see the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal of Ukraine. War is truly a horrible thing, but sometimes there is no alternative if you are dealing with a despicable regime like Russia that is determined to take you over. It feels apparent to me that Putin is hoping to outlast the resolve of the West to continue supporting Ukraine, with the weapons and ammunition it needs to continue defending itself against its much larger neighbour.
Henry Smith MP has spoken in Parliament to back Royal Air Force targeted air strikes against military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen last week and has raised the importance of a strong international alliance to support free trade (on Monday, 15th January).
· England continues to rise up global rankings in maths, reading and science thanks to reforms under successive Governments since 2010.
· This Government is boosting school funding to reach almost £60 billion in 2024-25, its highest ever level in real terms – with Crawley benefitting from a total funding increase of over £4.9 million in 2024-25 compared to 2023-24.
· This investment, alongside the Government’s long-term reforms, including the Advanced British Standard, will ensure children continue to get a world-class education and have a brighter future.
· Having delivered on its manifesto commitment to recruit 20,000 new police officers, the Government are making sure the police have the funding they need.
· That is why in 2024-25, police forces will receive up to £843 million to better protect the public, so that every officer and community has the support and resources they need to cut crime, protect the public and build confidence in policing.
· The Government is ensuring the police have the necessary resources to clamp down on crime, making our communities better and safer places to live.
· Henry Smith MP has welcomed a tax cut for more than 4 million people in the south east of England thanks to the long-term decisions taken by the Government at the Autumn Statement for Growth.
· From 6th January 2024, National Insurance Contributions for 27 million working people have been cut from 12 per cent to 10 per cent, delivering a tax cut of £450 for the average worker earning £35,000.
· This means people will have more money in their pockets, helping to grow the economy and reward hard work.
Getting inflation falling has rightly been an economic priority for our Conservative government during 2023. Earlier last year, Labour politicians were gleefully rubbing their hands as a recession was predicted by some economic forecasters, but it’s very pleasing to disappoint them with our economy having remained resilient, with revised data showing our economic growth to have been one of the strongest in the G7 since 2020.
As the year draws to a close and we look forward to 2024, my reflections of 2023 give me cautious optimism for the upcoming year. For me, this year has felt like the first one this decade where the whole year has been relatively normal, without significant Covid impacts on our lives. It is easy to forget it was only in late March last year, that Gatwick South Terminal reopened after being closed for two years. While impacts from Covid still drag on our economy and on NHS waiting lists, we are continuing to move away from the worst impacts of the Covid pandemic.