WE are back in the full Westminster swing this week, with important Brexit statements in the House, midnight votes on the Finance Bill and a slew of constituency work to attend to.

As my constituents hopefully know, I hold regular advice surgeries across the area where I and my team try to help with a whole range of problems that are troubling those I represent. Sometimes they are quite small and easily solved and sometimes they are too big or too longstanding for anything that I might do to make a difference, although I will always try my very best.

But sometimes constituents come to me with a problem or situation that is just so unjust or awful that it galvanises me into immediate action and to bringing the full force of Parliamentary process to try to make a difference.

This happened recently, when I met Major Richard Gilbey, an Army PT instructor living locally who came to tell me about the death of his son, James, last year near Leeds. A 28-year-old-man, with 39 previous convictions, was racing his car against one driven by his friend in a testosterone-fuelled spree that saw them reach speeds of up to 90mph through residential areas, and hit James as he crossed the Stanningley by-pass via a pelican crossing on his way home.

After striking James with such force that his body travelled more than 70 metres down the road, witnesses saw the cars stop and one driver walk back – not to offer assistance but to retrieve the registration plate that had been wrenched loose during the collision. They then drove off (despite an almost wrecked car), disposed of the vehicle and burned their clothes in an attempt to evade capture.

When tried and convicted of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum prison term of 14 years, the defendants were sentenced to an eight-year term, automatically cut to four years under current sentencing rules – a punishment so light that the friends and family of the accused allegedly laughed, joked and sang while celebrating in the courtroom.

Through my tears and sense of outrage with which I heard the details of James’ death, I listened hard to and agreed with the Gilbeys’ proposal that the men who killed James had in fact committed involuntary manslaughter – which carries a maximum term of life imprisonment and so I have arranged a debate in the House of Commons next week to argue for a change in sentencing guidelines for such dreadfully callous and wicked crimes.