IT’S been a busy few weeks. Parliament may not have been sitting but that doesn’t mean work in the constituency stops.

Like colleagues across the country, I am continuing to help those who come to my office asking for advice and assistance every day.

In Blaenau Gwent we also saw a catastrophic fire devastate one of our most long-standing and notable businesses, Ron Skinner & Sons cars. I visited the site the morning after the fire and spoke with some of the firefighters to thank them for their service and have also been in touch with the management. There’s been an outpouring of good will locally.

It was good to lend a hand in the Aberbargoed and Bargoed by-election, where Labour candidate Christine Bissex-Foster was successful.

Our new Labour Prime Minister has been extraordinarily busy, not least in dealing with the riots that erupted across England. His decisive action, ensuring those responsible swiftly felt the full force of the law, undoubtedly helped halt what could have been a prolonged period of disorder.

The riots may have exposed the state the Conservatives left our country in, but also highlighted Keir Starmer’s determination and ability to make tough decisions and tackle problems head on.

As the Prime Minister spoke about in his speech last week, unfortunately there will be tough calls made in next month’s budget. The Conservatives have left the UK’s finances in a worse state than anyone imagined. No incoming government wants to be in this position, but by fixing this now, we can put things right for the future. We can have an economy that works for everyone, an NHS that’s fit for the future, with safer streets and cheaper energy bills.

Our Labour Government will continue to make the tough decisions where necessary and continue the work we’ve started on making things better for all of us.

In the coming months we are focused on boosting growth, bringing the rail service into public ownership, making big improvements to workers’ rights, switching on Great British Energy to produce clean energy and create jobs and many other tangible, practical changes for the better.

Labour promised to fix the foundations of Britain, but it’s not going to happen overnight.

When something is in such a state of disrepair you can’t just patch it up. It just makes the problem worse in the long run. You must get to the root of it. Even if it’s harder to do so.

Nick Smith, MP for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney