Thanks to all those who came along to my public meeting in Lancing Parish Hall last Thursday to talk about the New Monks Farm development and state of the A27 and apologies to the many who had to stand.

Parliament returns this week after the summer recess and hopefully that marks the end of the ‘Silly Season’ as well. Clearly I didn’t missing anything when I took a family holiday in France at the end of August.

Earlier this month I went to see Dunkirk, a fantastic film giving a new perspective on those 9 days back in 1940 when with the help of 39 British destroyers, a fleet of 800 ‘little ships’ and a huge slug of bravery the British Army turned disaster in to the ‘Dunkirk Miracle.’ 338,226 troops were

I have now become an award winning columnist. Not for what is produced by my pen alas but rather what is produced from my garden.

Rain may have almost stopped play last week but it certainly did not dull spirits. I arrived at the National Playday event on Monks Rec in Lancing last week just in time to see everyone running for cover from a sudden monsoon.

Just before Parliament broke for the summer recess I attended an interesting presentation by representatives from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, Gatwick and Network Rail about blockages on the Brighton London line and what to do about them.

Last week Parliament broke for the summer recess but it turned out to be one of the busiest weeks of the summer. The main news of course was the long awaited publication of Highways England’s work on the A27.

Last week I invited the General Secretary of the rail union RMT to the Commons to discuss the latest condition of industrial strife in the Southern region with MPs from all parties.

Last week the new agreement between the Government and the DUP was put to its first test with the vote on the Queen’s Speech, the Government’s programme for the new session.

At last, after a few hiccups, the Queen came to open Parliament last Wednesday in a slightly ‘dumbed down’ version of the State Opening. There were no horse-drawn coaches, no cavalry escorts and no crown and Her Majesty was able to get away in time for the 2.30 first race at Royal Ascot.