So it’s back to “Old clothes and porridge” as my father used to describe the New Year. Or perhaps not quite for we politicians, with a General Election in the offing.

Recently a Liberal Democrat document, pretending to be a local independent publication, came thumping on to our doormats. Amongst other drivel it repeats a number of insinuating slurs against me, and indicates that their candidate thinks he will win here.

Personal attacks do not work here in North Wiltshire, where we like our politics clean and decent; and I would appeal to all of the candidates in the forthcoming battle to focus on policies rather than personalities. I will be.

For me it’s all about two things. It’s about the economy, and it’s about my work locally. I am proud of the fact that my Government has delivered.

There are 1.75 million more people in work than five years ago, giving more families peace of mind as they face the New Year. There are 760,000 more businesses; more than 24 million people, at the lower end of the pay scales who pay less tax, or in many cases none at all; children’s education is better – with one million more in schools marked by Ofsted as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’; and pensioners are better off than they were five years ago. The State Pension has risen by £800, giving more people security in their retirement.

I am proud of those and so many other achievements, and hope that we will be given another five years to complete the task as a majority Conservative Govern-ment.

And, as so many of you know, my own main personal interest and satisfaction is in my local work as a Constituency MP.

It’s all about small local things. For example together, where I can, with local primary schools, I am working hard to visit all of the 55 graveyards in North Wiltshire which contain war graves. My friend and well-known local military historian and author Richard Broadhead and I have so far been to 36 of the 55 and hope to complete the visits in January. There are 106 First World War graves, and 97 from the Second World War. They, and so many others buried in France and Belgium and elsewhere, represent personal tragedies for so many hundreds of families locally.

So I hope for an active and stimulating campaign. But let’s make it about national policy issues and local matters, and let’s leave the gutter sniping to others.