OUR country faces another crossroads in the coming weeks.

As a nation, we are more divided than we have ever been and the decisions we make today will decide what country our children and grandchildren grow up in.

This Conservative Party leadership election is about who can deliver Brexit, combat Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party, and win back the voters that have deserted the Conservatives because we have not kept our promise to deliver Brexit.

If we don’t leave the EU by October 31, we will have failed to fulfil our promise to the British people once again.

Getting a proper Brexit done offers us an opportunity to unite our country, restore trust in our politics and to focus on those issues that make people’s lives better, such as improving education for the next generation, investing in infrastructure to improve productivity, and embracing new technology so that Britain leads the world. In a few weeks’ time, we will have a new prime minister and I hope they will get on with delivering that.

That’s why I have decided to support Boris Johnson to be our next prime minister.

I believe that Boris Johnson is the only candidate with the energy, imagination and resolve to deliver Brexit. His vision of an outward-looking, global Britain is what I’ve always called for.

Vision alone isn’t enough though. Leadership is key. And, as mayor of London, he demonstrated his ability to lead, to unite and to deliver.

Whenever he has been tested, he has come through: twice as mayor of London, including when the Conservatives were 17 points behind in the polls, and as the face of the Leave campaign.

As mayor, he cut tax, cut crime, invested in infrastructure, expanded the Living Wage, built more affordable housing and oversaw the best Olympics in living memory.

As foreign secretary, he led the international response to Salisbury, expanded our diplomatic network, and challenged the Iranian government in person several times calling for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

He will build a team that delivers Brexit, defeats Corbyn and unites our country, and reinforces the Conservative values that have been the foundation of our success – so that Britain can move beyond Brexit and secure a brighter future for all of us.

I am confident he is the leader we need, but I want to know what you think. What would like to see from our next prime minister? You can let me know on ranil.uk.

Ranil Jayawardena MP