SCREAMS of anguish can be heard from the Westminster Committee Rooms as one hopeful after another is eliminated.

The airwaves are awash with politicians promising to be "good team players" while metaphorically knifing their dear colleagues.

Broadcasting ingenues are learning that that it's important to check their backdrops before press conference – TiT isn't a good slogan.

And FRESH START can look unfortunate as a description if only the last four letters are visible on camera.

Yes, the Tory leadership contest is underway. All the candidates claim to have "a strong record of delivery on the economy" while at the same time lamenting the state of the economy. Curious.

It's tough running against your own record in government. And all the candidates know its not just parliamentarians watching. Audiences at home are too.

I know my constituents in Ochil and South Perthshire won't need any Westminster politician to tell them how tough things are.

Brexit chaos and Covid have taken their toll on our health and livelihoods. That's why I set out to find out how businesses were faring across the constituency.

I plan to let the chancellor in London (who holds the purse strings) and the finance secretary in Edinburgh (who does her best to mitigate as much of the damage as she can) know how you are coping, and where you think policies need to change and more help needs to be given.

So thank you to everyone who has completed my 'Covid Business Recovery Survey' already. And if you'd like to fill it out there's still time at www.osp.scot/surveys

I'm doing everything I can both in and out of Westminster to focus attention on my constituents' needs.

Last week I invited Google to the constituency to offer businesses and residents a 'digital upskilling' workshop and was incredibly pleased at the turn out. The Google team wanted me to say how much they'd enjoyed being with us. Let me know if it helped you.

Like many of you, we've had to adapt digitally in my office. Ever since my election in 2019 I've been available for constituency surgeries once a week. These are now hybrid.

Indeed, we were the first constituency office in the country to offer this service.

You can go to my website www.JohnNicolson.scot and select a date and time and book in for a zoom chat or a phone call with me.

As I write this in the Commons library, people are visiting the Covid Memorial Wall across the Thames.

Thousands of painted hearts emblazon the wall, each with the name of a loved one and many with a lament for love lost.

It's a heartbreaking sight not least since we all know Covid hasn't gone away.

Sadly, cases are rising again.

So please do make sure that you are vaccinated. Everyone aged 18 and over is eligible for two primary doses and a booster. There will be further boosters this autumn.

Wherever you are, I hope you're having a happy and healthy summer in our beautiful constituency. Talk to you soon.