In a few short weeks, the Conservative Party will elect a new leader and the UK will have a new prime minister. Ballot papers are landing on the doormats of Conservative Party members throughout the Royal Town and the decision rests with them. It is an awesome responsibility.

The Commonwealth Games give us something positive to enjoy away from the cut and thrust of daily politics.  As Birmingham and the West Midlands take centre stage, the competition will showcase the best of global Britain and our region to the world.

Whilst luckily the heatwave appears to be behind us, the leadership contest is only just firing up as the final two candidates prepare to go head-to-head: Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.

Westminster is abuzz with the Conservative Party leadership race which is well underway. We are fortunate in the Party to have such an array of talent with first-class contenders, each of whom would doubtless bring unique and important qualities to the role.

It is almost four months since Putin launched this brutal war, bringing untold suffering to the innocent people of Ukraine. The UK has rightly stood by Ukraine throughout.

The annual civic service took place last Sunday, in the presence of our Royal Town Mayor, Janet Cairns and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, John Craggs.

Fifty years after the world said ‘Never Again’ to the horrors of the Holocaust, genocide took place on European soil.

Following earlier passport problems, I returned to Mere Green Primary to hear about their trip to France.

At the end of last week I met up with two Sutton Coldfield residents, Glenn Billington and Pete Knight (both retired police officers) and serving Police Constable Dan Hitchmough to hear about an event being arranged in memory of a fallen Sutton Coldfield Detective Constable Rob Ling.