THIS parliamentary session was marked by the death of Baroness Thatcher and I felt very privileged to attend the parliamentary church service in her honour.

For me, she bought a clarity, conviction and commitment that British politics desperately needed, while to be elected as Britain’s first female prime minister was an extraordinary achievement given that she was a woman from an ordinary background; politics at that time was an old boys’ club and female leaders in any walk of life in the 1970s were as rare as hens’ teeth.

She will be remembered for the big political battles she fought, for rescuing an economy that was propped up by IMF handouts, spreading home ownership, winning the Falklands war, and helping to win the Cold War, while her championship of Britain’s interests in Europe was legendary – the EU rebate she secured for Britain is bigger than our defence budget today.

But there were some mistakes made during her time, including possibly forgetting that behind the militant union leaders were millions of hardworking people who just wanted work, strong communities and a good future for their children, and the unequal loss of jobs across the country would inhibit regeneration for decades. Politicians need to keep learning lessons from history and these are important ones we should not forget.

Locally, I have been putting in the miles with visits to many local schools this month, round table meetings with environmental groups, farmers and local businesses, presentations at the Tidworth Area Awards and a tour of the new National Army Recruiting Centre in Upavon that has just opened, with the creation of 200 new local jobs.