I was honoured to have been elected as the Member of Parliament for the Bracknell Constituency.

Full statement

I am proudly local, having been born and brought up close to Bracknell and spent much of my working life in the Bracknell, Sandhurst and Aldershot area. To be a good community MP, it is vital to be part of the community and to live nearby. My clear priority will be to serve the people of Bracknell Constituency.

Bracknell has a golden opportunity to embrace its future as an international hub for the post-Brexit economy. With so many global, national and local employers here, we are blessed with near full employment and must continue to attract overseas investment. Wages compare well with those in neighbouring areas, our health and social care is generally good, and Bracknell is a place of opportunity.

My priority as your MP is to the people I serve, in the same way that I loyally served my country for 26 years in the Army. I will continue to focus on ensuring the best possible local NHS and social care, proper funding for our schools, increased Police numbers, more affordable houses in the right areas, the best possible leisure facilities and open spaces, and a safe and healthy environment for our families.

I will represent local views on housebuilding, infrastructure and climate change, making sure that we protect jobs, council services and the excellent quality of life that we have here. I will be a robust champion for local people, our community and our excellent charity sector. I am also proud of my Conservative principles , family values and my record of public service as an Army officer. Strong on Defence, Law and Order, Education, Jobs, the Economy and Global Britain, I will continue to fiercely represent the people of Bracknell in Westminster.

About me.... I was born in nearby Chertsey and brought up locally. After leaving school in Guildford, I was educated at the University of Birmingham (BA Hons), Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Kings College London (MA), Defence Academy and the Royal College of Defence Studies. I have spent much of my adult life working and living in the Aldershot, Camberley and Bracknell area and remain very familiar with its surroundings and local people. I was commissioned into the British Army from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in 1993 and served for 26 years as a Regular officer, only leaving at short notice in November 2019 to stand as a Parliamentary candidate.

My Regular service consists of continuous Regimental Duty and staff appointments from 2Lt to Col and I have lived throughout the UK, Germany and worldwide. My operational service includes tours in Iraq, Bosnia, Africa and the Falklands and I have been fortunate to travel extensively in support of both the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office. My career has been hugely varied and rewarding: I have lived in snow holes on the NATO Northern flank in Norway, run complex Army change programmes, delivered humanitarian operations, led UK civil contingency planning, overseen Theatre drawdown operations in Iraq and planned the multi-national contribution to Afghanistan.

I was privileged to command 27 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps in Aldershot from 2014 – 16, where I was entrusted with over 800 soldiers under command. More recently I served as Commander of the Army Engagement Group, responsible for high-level engagement with Ministers, MPs, Lord Lieutenants, High Sheriffs, Councillors and local people on behalf of the Army Board. With my career having begun in the constituency at the Royal Military Academy, it is fitting that my final 2 years should have ended here and that I am now the local MP.

In addition to my military career, I have been a Governor at a primary school in Surrey (Graded Outstanding), Speedwatch and Road Safety Campaigner in Hampshire, Trustee of the Royal Logistic Corps Benevolence Committee, Chairman of the British Army Motorsports Association and a regular fund-raiser for several charities, including the Royal British Legion, Samaritans, Help for Heroes, SSAFA and Step by Step (Aldershot). I am also an occasional contributor to publications and my interests include football, cricket and history.