As a politician, I should expect sharp challenge from those who disagree with my decisions.

If parliament and government work together in their respective constitutional roles, and respect due processes, we will maximise our chances of making the right decisions as we encounter the many challenges, risks and opportunities Brexit poses for our country.

Political parties depend for existence and success, not so much on the holding of identical views, as on a shared philosophy and ties of loyalty and respect between members. So there are good reasons to try to find compromises when differences emerge on a specific matter.

A decision as a backbencher to vote against one's party ought not to be taken lightly.

We have collectively to face up to the fact that in the two main political parties there are substantial disagreements on the best form Brexit should take.

Thankfully, roads have opened that could lead us out of this Brexit crisis. One obvious solution, which is fast gaining support, is to hand the issue back to the country. I would add that we also need formally to take no deal Brexit off the table, because that way lies chaos and disaster.

We will not be thanked by anyone for dragging the country out of the E.U. on a deal for which the public have shown no enthusiasm. For MPs that would be an abdication of responsibility.

The country needs leadership driven by the dictates of national security, not the ebb and flow of political fortunes.

Including myself, it is now clear that there is a significant group of Conservative MPs who think that a People's Vote - a vote on the final form Brexit will take, is absolutely indispensable for the future wellbeing of our country.

It has long been noted that two of the Conservative Party's great strengths have been the loyalty of its members and its pragmatic approach to policy challenges.

Intelligence is fragmentary and hard to discover, so it is by joining forces and sharing information with our allies that we maximise our ability to protect ourselves.

In seeking to counter challenges such as terrorist threats, hostile state activity, or nuclear proliferation, we cannot work in isolation.

Since 1955, the U.K. has been part of an intelligence-sharing arrangement with the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Intelligence-sharing is, in itself, commonplace.

Investment by any foreign company in any element of the U.K.'s Critical National Infrastructure should receive careful scrutiny.

In my brief, home affairs, we have witnessed ministers issue countless dodgy dossiers, fiddle figures and fudge facts.

This is bad for policy-making - if you cover up the problems, how can you solve them? It also corrodes public trust. Government must be much more honest about the challenges facing the country, if we are to begin to tackle them. Short-term spin must give way to proper long-term strategic thinking.

Any politician can talk about resuscitating public trust.

Our schools face immense pressures caused by the different needs and languages of children from immigrant families, particularly in urban areas.

The failure to manage economic migration properly has put further pressure on transport and housing.

A Conservative government will set immigration policy within a wider strategy that meets the changing demographic make-up of Britain, taking full account of its impact on our population and maximising the economic advantages while mitigating the costs and risks.

Only a Conservative government can credibly deliver the overhaul in approach that will ensure the controlled immigration that Britain needs to prosper in the 21st century.

For democracy to function properly it requires accepting the absolute right of individuals and groups to campaign against decisions previously taken by majorities and to seek to change them.

I have no doubt that those who campaigned for and voted leave in 2016 did so with honourable motives.

We were all elected to try to improve the lives of our constituents.