A pub, a drink, and a chat. One of the most well-loved combinations – and also an effective way to rebuild trust in politics.

Over the last few days, I’ve met constituents in pubs at Roche and Newquay - with an invite to discuss the thorniest of topics, such as immigration.

I will never forget how lucky I am to have been elected with five years to make a difference – and, at the moment, with over four remaining, I’m not out and about to scoop up votes; it’s much more important to focus on running this kind of event to show constituents the respect they deserve by tackling the serious and polarising issues people have are concerned about, stopping them from becoming ‘elephants in the room’. I am not prepared to continue a legacy of sweeping these topics under the carpet, which will only fuel further division. We have to bring people together to rebuild trust in politics.

So, with an open agenda, people from all walks of life discussed a range of topics, including Brexit. Those who know my politics will know I'm not interested in warring over this issue – but whatever our vote, we can all agree is that both the deal and delivery from the previous government have been riddled with poor planning and preparedness and no real strategy. Nobody ‘won’.

That is why I am glad to see the start of a visible reset – as were European counterparts in the UK-EU Parliamentary Partnership Assembly – a committee which brings together Parliamentarians from across Europe and provides space for the discussion of the 2021 Trade and Co-operation Agreement which is up for review. During a meeting, I heard how Phytosanitary (SPS) agreements and cooperation on security were high on the agenda... Fishing in particular was high on mine.

Again, at a time of geopolitical turbulence when the last thing we need is to be at loggerheads with our neighbours, parliamentarians should be upfront that the arrangements in place could be improved for everyone in the UK. And, whilst we know at this point, that Brexit has put a significant dent in the British economy, it was already locked into a downward spiral—low wages, low productivity, and underinvestment, which gives people a lesser stake in wealth creation and an increasing view that the system is unfair.

The message must be clear: this government will not consign people to the economic scrapheap. Instead, we must equip people with the means to succeed. That’s why I am pleased this Government is providing 1.5 million more homes, has already reduced NHS waiting lists ahead of schedule, and has rising wages and employment rights.

We’re starting to tackle these structural issues in among the pain of finding £22-billion's worth of cash to patch up crucial in-year spending commitments.

But with the same candour, I want to be upfront and say we are not going to Get Britain working again overnight – it’ll just be much faster if we all work together.