THE people of Redditch and the country must now unite and be bold and ambitious about Britain’s future post-Brexit, that’s the message from Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch.

Theresa May closed the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham yesterday with a speech focused on improving the lives of everyone in our country, boosting house building, increasing NHS funding and ensuring the UK takes full advantage of the opportunities available to our country post-Brexit.

During her speech, the Prime Minister announced fuel duty will be frozen for the ninth year in a row, the cap on how much local councils can borrow to build new homes will be lifted, £20.5billion extra funding for the NHS in real terms by 2023/24 and a new Cancer Strategy will be launched to speed up diagnosis and save lives.

Theresa May also reminded conference and the country of the progress the Conservative Government has made these past eight years to repair the damage done to the UK’s economy as a result of Labour’s out-of-control spending.

Since 2010 the economy has continued to grow, the deficit is down by four-fifths, unemployment is at its lowest since the 1970s, youth unemployment is at a record low, households where nobody works is down by almost a million and the UK’s national debt is starting to fall for the first time in a generation.

However, the Prime Minister was also very clear that, despite the progress that has been made, too many people across the country still feel like the economy isn’t working for them.

Mrs Maclean said: “Our country must now come together in the national interest and be bold and ambitious about the future of the UK post-Brexit. That was the Prime Minister’s central message in her speech. We must get on and govern and improve the lives of ordinary working people here in Redditch and across the country.

“Theresa’s speech was funny, real, personal, emotional and uplifting. The PM gave a strong speech and one we definitely needed to hear at this critical time in our country’s history.

“I couldn’t agree more with the Prime Minister’s message. After a decade of austerity, the people of Redditch need to know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel."

She added: "Since 2010, the Government has had to make incredibly tough decisions on spending. We need sound finances, and there must be no return to Labour’s out-of-control spending, but my constituents need to know that the sacrifices they have made were worth it and that the tough decisions of the past eight years were not all for nothing.

“I want to see more money in the pockets of my constituents, more opportunities for young people, more houses built, more high-paid jobs and more money for our NHS. The Prime Minister made it clear, if we’re ambitious as a country post-Brexit then all of this can and will be achieved.”