Members of Parliament have to juggle multiple responsibilities. These include advocating for constituents, scrutinising the Government, but also playing a part in national decisions.

As part of that third element, I was delighted to be appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon. I will work as his parliamentary aide - helping him to manage the wide variety of challenges that confront him.

This is an interesting and engaging position. Top of the defence in-tray are the challenges facing British forces around the world, particularly our participation in the campaign to liberate Iraq and Syria from Daesh. This evil and virulently anti-Semitic regime is a direct threat to our country. We saw this only too clearly in the recent terrorist attacks. We have made huge progress in defeating them, most recently through our support for Iraqi forces in liberating Mosul. But there remains much more to do to prevent them re-grouping and expanding their influence beyond the Middle East.

Equally, we face challenges from an increasingly aggressive Russia, trafficking across the Mediterranean and rising tensions in East Asia.

The British armed forces are engaged in all these theatres. Our service men and women put their lives on the line day and night in defence of us. In return, we must uphold the military covenant, which recognises the moral obligation we owe to members of the armed forces and their families, and it establishes how they should be treated. This is particularly relevant in Bushey, where I know many service personnel live. I look forward to supporting Sir Michael in working to improve their accommodation, as well as wider conditions.

In accepting this position, I hope to be able to play my own small part in ensuring that Parliament addresses these important challenges.