Politically Speaking: By Mark Eastwood, MP for Dewsbury

Councillor Martyn Bolt held his seat in Mirfield, with a stomping majority - a mark of the high regard he is held in the area.

In Dewsbury, although we did not gain any seats, we saw a significant increase in the Conservative vote share.

I would like to say well done to Imtiaz Ameen in Dewsbury South, Basharat Rafiq in Dewsbury West and Keith Mallinson in Dewsbury East for putting in a fantastic amount of effort into their campaigns.

I send Tracy Brabin my congratulations on her new role as West Yorkshire Mayor and my commiserations to Matt Robinson, who fought a strong campaign.

This means there will now be a by-election in the seat next door.

I look forward to seeing some high-quality candidates putting themselves forward for the Conservative nomination.

It was great to be out and about on the campaign trail over the last few weeks, meeting constituents and hearing their concerns.

Following on from some of the conversations I had on the doorstep, my team and I saw some excellent results addressing issues from local low-level anti-social behaviour to fly-tipping.

I recently welcomed the Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, to the constituency to discuss proposals on an upgrade to the Penistone Line.

I also met Simon and Steve at the VetRun180 charity with Mirfield Councillor Martyn Bolt. We saw first-hand the amazing support they give to our veterans.

After a brief break for last week’s elections, Parliament has returned with the State Opening marked by a new Queen’s Speech outlining the Government’s agenda over the next session.

The legislation brought forward throughout the session will be crucial to the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

The Government will look to strengthen the NHS, create safer communities and turbocharge efforts to level up the country.

While we plan ahead for our recovery after the pandemic, we must keep focus on the risks we still face from the virus.

Thanks to the extraordinary success of the vaccine roll-out, and the evidence demonstrating its effectiveness, more restrictions will be lifted in accordance with the roadmap on May 17.

I know that some have expressed frustration at the gaps separating each relaxation.

But I must stress the importance of caution and the risk of rushing the relaxations without allowing time to assess their impact on the key indicators.

Nobody wants to see the roadmap slow down or ever see restrictions return, which is why it is crucial that individuals, families and businesses keep paying attention to the latest guidance and continue following the rules.

Thank you for reading.

As always, the team and I are here to help.

Please feel free to contact me via email: [email protected] or telephone 01924 939007.