During the last week we have seen more good economic news with inflation falling sharply to just over two per cent as the price of fuel and transport finally starts to ease.

Coupled with the encouraging jobs data and falling deficit, it all provides evidence that the recovery is gathering pace – and with low interest rates helping mortgage borrowers, tax cuts for more than 24 million people, more than two million people on low incomes taken out of tax altogether, frozen fuel duty and council tax, and pension increases now linked to the higher of earnings growth or inflation, people’s disposable incomes are also rising, providing a bit of help for all of us in the run-up to Christmas.

Festive cheer was in short supply in the House of Commons this week as we debated the EU Referendum Bill. The few members of the Labour Party who bothered to show up last Friday did all they could to delay the progress of the Bill by making filibustering and deadly dull speeches, calling for votes and then failing to participate and sitting in the voting lobbies playing games on their phones instead of voting. After repeated failures to give the British people a say on the Lisbon Treaty in their 13 years in government, this behaviour is not entirely unexpected but luckily with strong Conservative support the Bill will return for more debate next week and should progress to the next stage.

Such political silliness receded into the distance this weekend as all MPs and millions of people took part in events to mark Remembrance Sunday.

Every year it is my proud and solemn duty to lay a wreath on behalf of Parliament and it is one of most important and moving duties that I undertake. This year, I joined the service in St Michael’s Church in Tidworth, where it was standing room only for an outstanding service led by a Padre with a chest covered in medals.

Like millions across the country I am always proud to wear a poppy and salute those who have fallen – and somehow the words “We Will Remember Them” seem even more significant when spoken by a congregation full of soldiers and families in a packed church in the heart of Britain’s main garrison town, and with Tedworth House, which does so much to help those wounded in conflict, only yards away.

I am so proud to represent this constituency, which is home to so many active (and retired) Armed Forces personnel.