Julius Caesar famously said "the die is cast" when he crossed the Rubicon. Though he couldn't be sure of victory, he was determined to see his plan through. Ever since, "crossing the Rubicon" has become proverbial for committing to a course of action - come what may.
Many MPs likewise stand on a threshold, looking back on what they have achieved for their constituencies, but also looking forward to what they hope to achieve by pressing onwards.
The die has now been cast in relation to boundaries too, with the Boundary Commission for England having published its final proposals ahead of the next general election. Seats have been redrawn and renamed. Many MPs will be thinking in earnest about their own campaigns - and the shape of their political future.
Due to lobbying by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, constituents of my current Workington constituency will be split nearly 2:1 between the new Penrith and Solway constituency and the new Whitehaven and Workington constituency. Maryport, Cockermouth, and towns and villages north will go to the former; Flimby and Seaton will join Workington in the latter (extending the allegory to breaking point, one might say the Rubicon has changed course slightly!)
But I am just as committed to my personal course: to serve my constituents and ultimately those I hope to represent in the future in the new Penrith and Solway seat for which I have been selected to stand. When I was elected, I promised I would be an MP for everyone, not just those who voted for me or my party. I have delivered on that promise as your champion in Westminster.
My present constituency has never seen a higher profile. Since my election, more than £700m worth of investment has flooded in, creating jobs and opportunity. We've received £11.5m through the Future High Streets Fund for Maryport to revitalise the town. On top of that, there is £23m from the Towns Fund for Workington - which will pay for a Sports Village, the recently opened digital skills hub in Lillyhall, new town centre office space, job-creating new industrial estate at the Port of Workington, and public realm improvements across the town. This is alongside another £9.6m from the Levelling Up Fund for Workington, fixing historic bottlenecks and opening up HGV access north of the river, and the rollout of £100m+ Project Gigabit scheme in Cumbria - delivering hyperfast broadband across the constituency.
I was among the most vocal supporters of West Cumbria Mining's plans for the Woodhouse Colliery near Whitehaven. This will see the direct creation of over 500 well-paid and skilled jobs, with 80 per cent of those expected to come from within 20 miles of the project site, alongside thousands more in the supply chain.
Prior to my election, I set out how I would work with the PCC and other Cumbrian MPs to ensure investment in our police. I have worked tirelessly to ensure they have the support and resources they need. Cumbria Constabulary now has more officers than ever before, achieving a national target - with 192 new officers recruited in less than four years as part of the national Police Uplift Programme. We're opening new police bases and putting named community officers back into our towns and villages.
Built originally by a Conservative government, West Cumberland Hospital has been rebuild by the Conservative government with the second £40m phase of the £130m new hospital in Whitehaven well underway.
We have seen investment flooding into Cumbria under this Conservative Government. In Carlisle there has been the opening of a new cancer hospital on the site of the Cumberland Infirmary following an investment of £35m, and we've seen the start of a new £15m NHS Community Diagnostics Hub in Workington.
We have also seen £50m provided for the Carlisle Citadels campus project by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. There has been £20m to drive the regeneration of the southern end of the city centre - more evidence of the benefits of having a Conservative Government and Conservative MPs committed to the levelling up agenda.
As I stand on my own political Rubicon, I am determined to press on and to deliver what was promised. I am proud to count myself among the hardest working and most visible MPs in the country, and my record stands for itself. It is a great honour and privilege to represent the area where I live, grew up and where I have raised my family. Since 2019, I have never tired of speaking up for Cumbria or for amplifying the voices of those I was elected to serve. I am absolutely committed to that course, and I will not deviate from it.
