I was at the Prime Minister’s speech this afternoon, where he set out his priorities for the year ahead.

He promised to:

• Halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living for every family.
• Grow the economy, creating better-paid jobs and spreading opportunity.
• Get our national debt down so that we can secure the future of public services.
• Cut NHS waiting lists, which I know have been worrying many of you locally.
• Legislate to stop small boats, and making sure if you come here illegally you are detained and swiftly removed.

I was particularly proud to hear him speak about the importance of family.

Families are at the heart of what makes us happy and well. No matter what form they take, it’s the common bond of love which shapes our lives, and as Families Minister I’ll be working hard this year to strengthen those bonds.

We’ll be expanding Family Hubs to make sure that new families are supported from day one, and I’ll be looking at what we can do to improve the affordability of childcare for working parents.