JOHN Lamont, the new Tory MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, has set out his stall for revitalising the Borders economy in a post Brexit UK.

In his maiden speech in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mr Lamont said: “The challenges and opportunities thrown up by Brexit for my constituents – especially export businesses, farmers and fishermen – will be of fundamental importance over the coming years.

“I will work tirelessly to help ensure we come of out of the process even stronger and even more together than we are now.”

The 41-year-old former MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, elected to Westminster with a majority of over 11,000 on June 8, also pledged his support for two initiatives already established by the Scottish Government – the improvement of broadband coverage and the southern extension of the Borders railway.

“The rural and diverse nature of the constituency provides us with many challenges,” said Mr Lamont during the Queen’s Speech debate.

“I will make it my mission in this place to improve broadband connectivity, thus ensuring businesses can thrive and compete with the more urban areas of these islands.

"Similarly, I will make the creation of an environment that allows for job creation a priority. Effective and sustainable transport links – including the extension of the railway to Hawick and onto Carlisle – together with better broadband connectivity and improvements to other infrastructure will be the key to pursuing that aim.”

The Ayrshire-born MP commended his party’s manifesto commitment to establish a so-called Borderlands Growth Deal to encourage direct investment in the south of Scotland by developing closer links to Northumberland and Cumbria.

“Our communities may be divided by a border line marked on a map, but we share many of the same challenges and the growth deal will give us the opportunity to tackle them together.”

Mr Lamont, whose General Election campaign focused on his opposition to a second Scottish independence referendum, told MPs of the significance to Border towns of common ridings and festivals which, he said, “symbolised an overarching feeling of unity”.

“Pair that with the rich history that all the nations of our Union share, and it is clear to me that we have much more in common than not – that we are, together, worth more than apart.

“Perhaps that is clearer now than it has ever been in recent times. Such values are what we all must fight for.”

Earlier in his speech, Mr Lamont praised the contributions of his predecessors, the SNP’s Calum Kerr who was elected in 2015, and Lib Dem Michael Moore.

“Speaking in this great chamber today, I am struck by the importance of effective parliamentary democracy,” said Mr Lamont.

“I am reminded of the significant contributions my predecessors have made to this place.

“I know that Calum Kerr worked had to ensure that the voice of Borderers was heard. We had differing views on big political issues of the day, but he is proud of his Border roots and his contributions here were evidence of that. I wish him and his family well for the future.

“Before him, Michael Moore represented the constituency for 18 years.

"Such long service and loyalty to the Borders will not be forgotten any time soon. His time as Secretary of State for Scotland at such a crucial time in our Union’s history and his successful private member’s bill on the international aid target show that his influence was not confined to the Borders. I pay tribute to him too.”