But as a southern Tory MP helping her campaign in the heart of Cumbria, I expected a hard time. It turned out that the opposite was true.

The response was positive and welcoming: after years of being ignored by Labour, the people of Copeland welcomed the effort Trudy and her supporters were putting in.

It was clearly a refreshing change for them. And this result wasn’t a one-off. Trudy was returned as MP later in the year with almost half of the vote.

Conservative MPs also won in places such as Mansfield, Middlesbrough South & East Cleveland, Stoke-on-Trent South, Walsall North and North East Derbyshire which we haven’t won for decades – and, in some cases, ever before.

Millions of former Labour voters now feel abandoned by the party. For decades Labour took their vote for granted, telling them that only Labour would protect their jobs and communities.

Yet Labour governments always left office with unemployment higher and spent more time flirting with pop stars and actors than talking about the people they were meant to represent.

In particular, it was Labour’s response to the Brexit vote that has triggered the revolt of their traditional supporters.

Rather than trying to understand the concerns of the millions who voted to leave the EU, the out-of-touch cabal of North London MPs who now run the party has ignored them.

Instead of focusing on delivering the will of the people, Labour has done its utmost to frustrate the decision the country made, by voting against the EU Withdrawal Bill and even flirting with a second referendum.

So what has Labour been doing while it should have been listening to its supporters? Making disgraceful comments about female politicians and repeatedly refusing to apologise.

Refusing to stamp out a rampant culture of online abuse. Only last week, Labour promoted Clive Lewis and Laura Pidcock to the frontbench – the former who told someone to get “on your knees *****” at Momentum’s conference while the latter described the Conservatives as “enemies”.

This must be condemned for what it is. Intimidating or abusing others is unacceptable and has no place in public life.

That is why the Prime Minister asked the Committee for Standards in Public Life to review conduct in the general election last year.

The report was published in December and makes for shocking reading. While the Government will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in due course, we are clear that future elections will be carried out in a spirit of tolerance and respect. And it is these values that all Conservatives support: while we are a vibrant and diverse political party, we all unite around the notion of abiding by each other’s democratic right to be heard and voice our opinion, without abuse.

When Mrs May outlined her vision on the steps of Downing Street, she pledged to address the issues that affect millions of working people.

Since we came into government in 2010, we have created more than three million new jobs, driving unemployment to its lowest level since 1975.

We are supporting businesses because we understand that most people would trade a life on benefits for a life in employment in a heartbeat. And we recognise people have a sense of community and want their children to have the chance to live near where they were brought up, which is why we are helping first-time buyers get on the housing ladder and preventing renters from getting ripped off.

But Labour’s plan would put all of this at risk. From the shadow chancellor admitting that there might be a run on the pound if Labour gets into government to a fellow Labour frontbencher labelling their economic policy “high-risk”, they cannot be trusted to take a balanced approach to our economy that will get our debt falling while keeping taxes low.

We know that as important as getting the best possible deal with the EU is, what people want is a strong economy, efficient and well-funded public services and a government that treats them with respect.

That is what Theresa May’s Government will do: focus on building a country fit for the future, ensure that opportunities are available for everyone and help people make the most of their lives and go as far as their talents can take them.