Our failure to leave the European Union by the end of March now sees us given another extension until the end of October to get an agreement through Parliament. If we can achieve this earlier, we avoid the humiliating feature of European Parliamentary elections in May.

Since my last column, I was pulled out of the ballot twice in successive Prime Minister’s Questions.

It’s been another tumultuous, and disappointing, fortnight in Parliament. A new party has been formed, and I lost three of my own colleagues to join eight from the Labour Party. The principle driver for this split was a demand from these eleven MPs for a second EU referendum.

In addition to visiting local schools, and jobbing as a lollipop man, I have had three schools visit Parliament this week for a Q&A. I have also been using my voice in Parliament to support the funding needs of our local schools.

This week we had another tranche of votes on Brexit. None of them have any legislative effect but they do give an indication on Parliament’s direction of travel.

In this column, I try and capture what has been going on inside Parliament. With saturation coverage across the media this week, I feel I am recycling news but will try and deliver something extra!

New Year ushers in the latest annual rail fare increase. At just over 3%, and pegged to inflation, this year’s increase is lower than many from the previous 20 years but will rightly be greeted by frustration from passengers who have received a poor service over the last year.

In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it’s easy to get swept along with the flow of preparations and parties. We can have totally unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others to create the perfect celebration.

Next Tuesday, MPs will vote to either accept, or reject, the Prime Minister’s agreement with the EU. If approved, this will set out our terms for exiting the EU and the work will commence for fixing our future relationship. If rejected then the options are unclear.

It’s been another tumultuous week in Parliament. Last week, the Prime Minister published the draft EU Withdrawal Agreement. Over 585 pages, this document sets out how the UK will leave the European Union.