First, thank you to everyone who has sent kind messages following my promotion to Shadow Minister of State for the Department for Work and Pensions.
I am looking forward to the challenge. But whatever responsibilities I take on nationally, my first priority will always be fighting for Fylde and standing up for the people who sent me to Parliament.
My mission is clear: cut the benefits bill, get Britain working and make sure work always pays.
Our welfare system should be a safety net for people who fall on hard times, not a lifestyle choice for those who could work but choose not to.
A compassionate society must support people who are seriously ill, disabled or unable to work. But there is nothing compassionate about trapping people in dependency or expecting taxpayers to fund a growing benefits bill.
For people experiencing low level anxiety or depression, the routine, purpose and social contact provided by work can be part of the solution. We must challenge the medicalisation of everyday thoughts, feelings and setbacks, which risks writing people off rather than helping them move forward.
Sometimes a little tough love is needed. But help people we must. It is not kind to leave people sitting at home, becoming isolated, losing confidence and feeling sorry for themselves.
Labour has proved unable and unwilling to control the benefits bill. Kemi Badenoch has offered Andy Burnham the Conservative votes needed to pass reforms. Yet he thinks he can cut the bill by spending even more money. That is utter madness.
We would restore the two child limit and the household benefit cap, stop handouts to foreign nationals, bring back face to face assessments, reform fit notes and tackle sickness claims for conditions that should not automatically prevent someone working. We must also stop people gaming the system. Britain cannot remain a cash machine for the world.
Every day across Fylde, people work hard and make sacrifices for their families. They should never wonder why they bothered.
The benefits system must be fair to those who contribute as well as those who genuinely need help.
