It was in the small hours of Friday morning at Steam when the result came through that the people of South Swindon had elected me as their Member of Parliament for a record fourth time. The results revealed that the majority had almost tripled and the Conservatives had received over 50 per cent of the vote. After nearly fifteen years of campaigning, elections are always times of anxiety, so the sense of relief and gratitude was very strong when the figures came through.

I would like to thank everybody who voted for me, and I am hugely looking forward to serving my constituents here in South Swindon, once again. Susie and her team ran an efficient count, and my thanks are due to the many counters, the staff who worked so hard during the day at each polling station, and to Wiltshire Police.

I was also delighted, earlier in the evening, when my Conservative colleague Justin Tomlinson was re-elected as MP for North Swindon, also with a greatly increased majority. My congratulations to him.

During the busy night of results at Steam, I also undertook some national and regional broadcast interviews, including the main BBC1 election programme, being interrogated once again by the formidable Andrew Neil amongst others!

My dedicated election campaigning team, headed by my agent and campaign manager, Alex Williams, did an outstanding job both over the election period and beforehand, in all weathers, knocking tens of thousands of doors in South Swindon, delivering leaflets and getting my message out to voters.

My thanks to the dozens of local volunteers who contributed so much to our success. Once again, I wore down my shoes as I walked miles each day to talk to as many fellow residents as possible. Each of us had dozens, if not hundreds, of conversations on the doorstep over the past five weeks about what our priorities are and how the Conservatives will govern, and I wish to thank everyone who opened the door and had a chat with my team or me.

Now the results are in, I have been back in Westminster, serving my constituents, and the country, already. I had a Question and Answer session with a group of New College students at the Parliamentary Education Centre on Monday and was delighted that same day when the Prime Minister confirmed me in post as Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor. I will be continuing to fight for South Swindon at the Cabinet table and within Government. Indeed, I was back in the Ministry of Justice offices in London on Friday afternoon – a tad bleary eyed, granted – to talk to my civil servants about my immediate priorities for months ahead.

They include much-needed reforms nationally, which will ensure victims are put at the very centre of the criminal justice system, and I look forward to pressing on with these in the New Year.

Here in Swindon, we are going to crack on with the work of regenerating the local economy and our town centre, doubling the size of our A&E at the Great Western Hospital, and levelling up schools spending to ensure every child in Swindon gets the start in life they deserve.

This Christmas, I have a message for everyone across the constituency – whether you voted Conservative or not at this election, I pledge to be, as I have been for the past nine years, an MP who represents every single person both here in the constituency and in Parliament.

2020 is going to be a great year, and the Conservative government is going to move our country on to an even brighter future and beyond the political stalemate.

We’re going to change Britain, we’re going to make this an even better country to live in and, yes, we’re going to unite this country.

May I also take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

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