Now that the dust has settled on last week and I have caught up on some sleep, I wanted to briefly reflect on the last few months.

Now that the dust has settled on last week and I have caught up on some sleep, I wanted to briefly reflect on the last few months.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the result of the General Election. I put my all in to the campaign and I did so because I believed I was the best person to stand up for Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk. But nothing is guaranteed in politics and the Borders decided that someone else should represent them in Westminster. Despite the closeness of the result, I completely accept the outcome and wish Calum Kerr well in his new post.

I would like to thank my excellent team of volunteers, family, friends and colleagues for all their hard work over the past few weeks and months. Thanks to everyone for all their kind words by email, Facebook and in person. Most importantly, thank you to each and every one of the 19,817 Borderers who put a cross next to my name and put their trust in me to stand up for this fantastic part of Scotland.

I remain your Member of the Scottish Parliament and will continue to work hard for the Borders over the next year. My priorities remain the same - local services, local jobs and the United Kingdom. Now, more than ever, the Borders is in need of a strong local champion to safeguard Scotland’s continuing place at the heart of the UK.

In the meantime, I hope to see as many of you as possible out and about in the Borders as the common riding and festival season gets underway.

I am, etc.

John Lamont MSP, Coldstream.