I HAD the opportunity this week to be on the panel at two important public meetings in Salisbury and Amesbury regarding the ongoing incident. On both occasions I took the opportunity to make clear that the government understands the challenging situation we all face and is fully prepared to provide the financial support necessary to see us through this period.

An intense frustration I have, which I know many of you share, is that the relentless media focus on the incident is having a negative impact on the image of Salisbury and Amesbury. Rolling live coverage of people in hazmat suits carrying out their precautionary work in Queen Elizabeth Gardens does not help our recovery. The police should be given the space to carry out the vital work they are doing without being in the constant glare of the TV cameras.

Last Friday I was the guest of Moore Stephens for a lunch of local business leaders at the Chapter House. I fielded questions on a range of important issues including tax rates, Brexit policy and the economic impact of recent events in Salisbury and Amesbury. It was great to see the business community engaged with political issues. Despite the often negative headlines, I remain confident that we will reach an agreement with the EU – although we are certainly also preparing for a no deal scenario.

On Sunday, it was a pleasure to attend a Christian Aid fundraising event hosted by the Bishop of Salisbury at the South Canonry, in the Close. We were all honoured that Christian Aid’s new chief executive, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, was able to join us for the occasion, having previously worked at the United Nations.

As you might imagine, conversation touched on a number of important issues including foreign aid, development and climate change. I know from my inbox, that along with Brexit, foreign aid is perhaps one of the most politically contentious areas of policymaking. We need to make sure that DfID’s budget continues to make a tangible difference to the lives of people in some of the world’s poorest countries. The 0.7% budget target is not a goal in and of itself, but must be spent wisely – especially when there are so many other spending pressures on the Treasury.