It is difficult to shut yourself away from the calamity at the top of Government.

People may look away when a general election is distant, but most do care who holds power, how they use it, and what it says about the country. They are watching – and when that power is misused or disrespected, discontent follows quickly.

The problem is not that politics has become too political. It is that it has become stuck.

Week after week, the same pattern repeats. Big statements. Urgent language. Promises of action. Then slowing down, partial retreat, reviews that replace decisions. Noise continues, but progress does not.

That frustration is real. Borders endlessly debated without control. Public services reorganised without improvement. Businesses promised support, then handed something that barely touches the sides. Locally, people tell me the same story: NHS services stretched, rural roads neglected, local businesses uncertain. The country is busy, but it is not moving.

Politics loses credibility not because people expect miracles, but because they expect direction. They want to know who is in charge, what the plan is, and what happens when it fails.

The Conservative argument at its best has always been about clarity and grip: taking responsibility rather than passing it on. Government cannot fix everything, but it can make decisions and stand by them. That is what people – including those in our community – are looking for.

The current prime minister promised seriousness and stability. What he has delivered is hesitation dressed up as caution. Difficult choices delayed. Clear calls avoided. Authority exercised too rarely and too late. Government looks like it is managing its own position rather than the country’s direction.

Whether or not there is a change in leadership in the days ahead, the underlying issue remains the same: the country needs firmer direction and clearer authority at the top.

Confidence has been draining away because leadership has felt absent.

At a certain point, persistence becomes stubbornness. Waiting becomes wasting time. The country does not need another reset or rebrand. It needs decisive leadership — and if that cannot be provided, then change at the top becomes inevitable.

For Conservatives, the task now is not to mirror the Government’s confusion or chase every row. It is to show there is another way: clearer, firmer, more decisive. Less performance, more purpose.

That is what people are listening for. Not perfection, not platitudes, but the sense that someone is prepared to take responsibility and move things forward again.

As your local MP, I am part of shaping that alternative – one rooted in real conversations, real concerns, and real experiences from our community. Politics works when local voices are heard, and I am proud to bring ours straight to the heart of the national debate.