I was pleased to welcome Theresa to Cheadle during the General Election last year, and both then and as a Member of Parliament, I have known her to be an incredibly competent and sensible leader who gets the job done.

Theresa has been a Member of Parliament since 1997, holding various posts, most notably serving as Home Secretary for six years, the longest serving Home Secretary since World War II.

 Since announcing her bid after the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced that he would be standing down as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister, many of her colleagues have attested to Theresa’s commitment and the great distinction of her service.

 I know Theresa to be pragmatic and principled - and her reputation abroad will mean that we absolutely get the best deal as we enter a difficult period of negotiation.

In her announcement speech Theresa May set out how she will tackle social injustice highlighting how; if you are born poor you will have a life expectancy of nine years shorter than average, how if you are from a state school you will be unlikely to reach top professions and how women are still paid less than men.

I am backing Theresa because I believe she will provide the strong leadership for this country that’s needed and most importantly she will unite people. We need to move away from all the prescriptive labels we have had over recent months, of Leave and Remain, and instead start to talk about the person who’s going to lead this country to carry out the wishes of the people.

Theresa was for Remain, it was what she felt was right for the country, but she is the sort of person who gets on with the job - and that involves taking us out of Europe and getting the best deal possible for the UK.

 The art of negotiation is key and plays to Theresa’s strengths and I knowshe will do the job absolutely brilliantly.