I STARTED this week with an extended surgery and I look forward to making appropriate interventions and representations in the coming days.

I then took the opportunity to visit Little Folly Day Centre on Bemerton Heath which allowed me to hear the views of Andrea Gray and Rachel Draper and the team with regards to the vital work they do in assisting local families adjust to family life and the bringing up of young children.

It would be impossible this week not to mention the appalling events in the Middle East. On Tuesday I received a petition signed by over 200 constituents expressing outrage at events in Gaza.

It is tragic that so many civilians have died in this conflict, and many of the reports we hear are alarming. The urgent priority for the foreign secretary must be to work with international partners to secure a sustained ceasefire and once again re-start longer term negotiations.

International law requires both sides have to distinguish between military and civilian targets, but every nation must have the right to defend itself. To suggest recent events are purely part of an occupation and are unwarranted ignores the fact that more than 2,500 rockets have been fired at Israel since the start of July alone – including during humanitarian ceasefires.

Nevertheless the numbers of Palestinian civilian dead are deeply concerning but making moral judgements about rockets going either way into densely populated civilian areas (on both sides) is challenging when rockets have been found in UNRWA schools.

While ministers engage in diplomacy, it is always important to remember how UK funding is still being targeted at those suffering on the ground. The Department for International Development has provided £350m to Palestine in the last four years, including around £30m a year directly to Gaza.

A further £7m in emergency support has been authorised in the last week, which will help the UN team provide health services and shelter in these desperate circumstances.