As many of you will know, last week Birmingham played host to the Conservative Party Conference at the International Convention Centre (ICC), which provided an excellent opportunity for the West Midlands to showcase our great region and community spirit.

I was very busy meeting with various people and organisations during my time at conference, including several charities that I continue to support.

I was invited to speak at an event hosted by the Urban Transport Group on the Tuesday of conference, in which I discussed the importance of making use of technology if we are to provide public transport users with a better experience here in the West Midlands. I also enjoyed being part of a panel alongside the Football Association Chief Executive, Martin Glenn, and former England women’s team captain Casey Stoney, discussing how to get more people- and particularly women- involved in grassroots football.

It was great to be able to speak at the Apprenticeships Fringe, where Dudley South was also represented at the panel by Hugh, a KPMG apprentice from Brierley Hill. Hugh was extremely impressive and clearly has a bright future ahead of him.

Aside from my modest contributions to conference, it was the Prime Minister herself who completely stole the show. Closing conference on Wednesday last week, Theresa May delivered a magnificent speech to a packed Symphony Hall, in which she set out her vision for the UK after Brexit and outlined the Government’s strong and ambitious domestic agenda. She announced a new cancer strategy, funded through the Government’s 70th birthday investment into the NHS, to secure the long-term sustainability of our health service. The Prime Minister also committed to lifting the cap on the amount of money councils can borrow to build new homes.

In a typically humorous way, Theresa May grooved onto the stage to ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’, echoing her moves in Cape Town a few months ago. Thankfully there were no coughing fits or faulty signage to contend with this year. Her speech was thoughtful, and delivered with a warmth and humour that those who work with her see regularly, but that doesn’t always come across in media interviews.

I am back in Parliament this week now that the conference recess is over and am looking forward to getting stuck in again. We are entering into a crucial few weeks for the Brexit negotiations, with EU summit next week.

Parliament will vote on the final Brexit deal that is agreed with the EU and the 27 other member states later in the year. Over the last few weeks I have received an upsurge in the number of people asking me to support a second referendum on our membership of the EU. A second referendum would be a complete betrayal of the will of the British people and, for that reason, it would be deeply undemocratic. I cannot see how a second referendum would do anything other than aggravate divisions and bitterness even further. We are leaving the EU on 29th March. No ‘ifs’ and no ‘buts’. I will continue to work hard to deliver the Brexit that the people of Dudley South overwhelmingly voted for.