Shropshire MPs' column: Read the latest from the county's representatives in Westminster

On Wednesday, the Chancellor will stand up in the House of Commons and deliver the Budget. I have been clear that John Healey must reject the mistakes of his predecessor and deliver in one key area: defence.

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As Shadow Minister for War Readiness, I know that this is non-negotiable, as the Chancellor himself recognised back when he was Defence Secretary. War is already raging in Europe and no other government spending matters if our nation cannot be defended from hostile states, yet up to this point Labour have been completely unwilling to recognise this.

In fact, the Prime Minister famously said that national security cannot come at the cost of social security. This is wrong. There can be no social security if our nation is not prepared for war.

Also in Parliament, the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill returned to the House of Commons last week. With this Bill, Labour are opening up vexatious legal action against British veterans who served their nation during the Troubles, leaving many furious and feeling totally abandoned.

As a veteran who toured during Operation Banner myself, I know firsthand that there is no equivalence between security forces and those who carried out brutal acts of terrorism on the streets of Northern Ireland. So, I have stood firmly against this Bill from the very beginning. Last Monday, I was grateful for the opportunity to lay out my position again.

Speaking in the House of Commons, I recounted how: “I am 50 now and I was at the very end of Op Banner. I was a teenager. We are asking one and two generations before me to recount things they might have suffered through post-traumatic stress - things that they do not want to remember or possibly cannot remember.

“If you ask two or three people about the same incident an hour after, they will all have a different reason for it. We have to stand for our veterans and draw a line under this. The Bill is not doing that… I am yet to find a group of veterans who support it, and I have a very good network of people; my whole life has been spent in defence and security... I do not believe that we are intentionally going after our veterans, but there will be unintended consequences and we will open the door to our veterans being in the dock for years to come.”

Finally, I share the exasperation of thousands of residents at Shropshire Council’s proposal to once again hike parking charges across the county. At a time when prices are rising across the board, it is blindingly obvious that this move would be detrimental to local businesses as well as shoppers themselves.

What’s more, my Shop Local Survey last year showed that nearly fifty per cent of South Shropshire residents were already discouraged from the high street due to parking arrangements. So, I have written directly to the Leader of Shropshire Council to show my support for free parking in our towns.