A superb summer spent traversing the English countryside, ended with me visiting my former school Christ's Hospital, in West Sussex. My summer of campaigning was made all the more momentous by an against-the-odds win in the Uxbridge by-election.
July
July began in Uxbridge for the CWO London Action Day for Steve Tuckwell.
I was delighted to attend the Conservative Friends of America Independence Day reception, with rousing speeches from Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and Dr Liam Fox; as well as great chats with Dame Priti Patel and Dame Eleanor Laing.
It was great to be back in Somerset to help Faye Purbrick in the Somerton & Frome by-election, before heading back to Westminster to hit the phones over at CCHQ. I had fantastic conversations with the residents of Selby, listening to their concerns and the local issues we could help with.
A highlight of the month was visiting my Political History tutor Tudor Jones at St John's College in Oxford, who very generously invited me to a Q&A with former Special Adviser to Theresa May (and now parliamentary candidate for W Suffolk), Nick Timothy. Nick and Tudor's riveting discussion provided context on topical issues such as the civil service, the politics of trade offs and the importance of shared national identity.
Over the weekend I was back in Uxbridge, this time leading an Action Day for the Conservative Women's Organisation Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham, with our CWO friends over in Battersea. As the last Saturday before the momentous by-election it was a crucial day of campaigning and we were delighted to draw such a crowd.
The following week I was thrilled to resume my role as scribe for the CFCC and catch up with friends. As ever, Lord Howell provided valuable insights on why we must make the most of the Commonwealth's exceptional network. Lord Marland discussed the work of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, and the importance of trade as the greatest mechanism to help countries out of poverty. You can read my full report here.
I was honoured to be invited to Windsor as part of the first caucus of the Coalition for Global Prosperity Future Leaders programme, for parliamentary candidates across the Conservative and Labour parties. We were extremely lucky to hear from the likes of Sir Mark Lyall Grant, Professor Peter Katjavivi and former Director of GCHQ Sir David Omand.
I rounded off the month back in Kensington, delivering literature in the Brompton & Hans Town ward, for which I am Deputy Chair Political, before dashing off to Henley for the first Barnstorming event by the Conservative Rural Forum, of which I am extremely proud to be a member and their first Digital Adviser.
The event was a huge success with great policy ideas shared on farming and food security. Martin made the most of our host's beautiful farm with a laudatory burst into zoomies.
August
I spent the beginning of the month on Bob Blackman's notorious summer work experience. It was a fascinating insight into life as an MP and a great opportunity to meet students hoping to get into politics. From stuffing envelopes and knocking on doors, to debating whether 16 year olds should get the vote, it was a great week spent.
I was grateful to Bob for introducing us to London's Community Kitchen, a fantastic local intiaitive created by Taz Khan. LCK work with corporate partners to host a range of zero waste cafes, food markets and ethical catering to redistribute food to Londoners in need.
It was an absolute pleasure to spend the day volunteering with London's Community Kitchen and I hope to be back soon.
Next, I was back in Kensington to deliver literature in Brompton & Hans Town ward with local MP Felicity Buchan.
A few days later I went to visit my former school Christ's Hospital, for an article I wrote in Conservative Home on Labour's tax on private schools and why it would be catastrophic for social mobility. You can read the article here.
I ended the month at the Today Show live listening to a compelling debate with James May and Andy Palmer, former CEO of Aston Martin, on the future of the motorist - a policy area that is already proving to be a hot topic and will no doubt become more pertinent in the run up to the General Election.
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