RECENTLY elected MP Luke Graham spoke of connectivity and social mobility when he rose with “enthusiasm and humility” for his maiden speech at Westminster yesterday.

The Conservative politician, first from his party to be representing Ochil and South Perthshire, explained connectivity “is a key issue” in the “diverse” area.

On Tuesday, June 27, he said in the House of Commons: “I therefore intend to use my time in this house to improve the connectivity for residents, whether it be in the form of rural broadband, mobile phone signal or greater infrastructure to better connect our constituency with the rest of the UK.

“But it is not just roads, rails and wires that my constituency needs; it also requires more social connectivity.

“We must look to combine inward investment with initiatives to build social capital in areas of deprivation, so we can in turn improve social mobility.”

He paid tribute to his predecessors SNP politician Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh for her work on equality and international issues as well as Labour's Gordon Banks “who worked tirelessly on constituents’ issues and achieved such success that his dedication is still talked about on the doorsteps of Crieff, Alloa and Kinross today”.

The young representative also weaved a few jests in, musing: “From the Hillfoots villages to the towns of Alloa and Clackmannan, Clackmannanshire may have earned its name, the 'Wee County', from its boundary lines - but it has the landscape, the people and the ambition to show that it is not size but what you do with it that counts.”

Taking a more serious tone, he spoke of how today's politics “seems to be calling on anger and outrage” to solve issues.

He said: “That is understandable. Anger is an easy emotion, but it masks fear. The rapid changes in 21st century Britain can make people afraid, but rather than calling for a day of rage, I hope to call for days of courage.

“Courage to face the tests of globalisation and help recognise the opportunities that they provide; courage to face the challenges of identity and nationhood, whilst recognising the strength of our United Kingdom; and, finally, the courage to stand by our political conviction, but to know when it is best to stretch our hands across the aisle to work together for the betterment of our communities.”

Concluding, he referred to the Wee County's motto “more than you imagine”, saying: “I hope to hold true to that motto, and though lofty and perhaps naive, I hope to work with others in this house to achieve more than we, and certainly the public, have come to expect.”