THE dreadful attacks in Brussels last week, showed, once again, that there is nothing that Daesh will stop at to spread fear and mayhem.

It is only right that we stand with the Belgian people and our allies in Europe – these were attacks in Belgium now, but they could just as well be attacks in Britain or anywhere else. Our transport system is among the safest in the world, but we must remain vigilant at all times and carry on with our daily lives.

The terrible scenes were a reminder; however, that whatever the papers say about political wrangling at home, abroad we face a dangerous cocktail of global risk. Britain is well prepared to handle this challenge, to invest in our safety and security – but only if we act now so we don’t pay later.

We can choose short-term fixes, or we can lead the world with long term solutions to long term problems. We can choose to invest for the future, or to spend for the short term.

And in the Budget that has seen much debate, it is quite clear that we must choose the long term with sound public finances to deliver security; lower taxes for enterprise to create jobs; reform to improve schools; investment to build homes and infrastructure, and help for working people with lower taxes and support for saving.

That is the path we followed over the past five years and it has given us one of the strongest economies in the world, meaning we can invest for the future, as well as to support those who need most help including people with disabilities and health conditions.

To get in touch email claire.perry.mp@parliament.uk or call 01380 729358.