Today, I have been beetling about the constituency getting back into the swing of things locally. It was a great pleasure to join our local Conservative Women's Organisation for a lunch in Cobham. Organised by Mamta Rathore, Ruth Mitchell and Elise Dunweber, we had a terrific turnout. As well as thanking everyone for their hard-work and invaluable contribution to the general election campaign, I talked a little about the post-election challenge, shy Tories, my new appointment - and then took a few questions. We all agreed that it's time to get straight back to business and a lot of hard-work, to make sure our Conservative government delivers over the next 5 years. 

With polling day looming, after numerous hustings, public meetings, dawn raids on railway stations, and meeting thousands of residents, I know that both voters and candidates are pretty exhausted with the general election campaign. So, to sum up, as we enter the last 48 hours before voting, I have written a column for Conservative Home, here, on why we need a Conservative government nationally to continue building an opportunity society. Here, in Esher & Walton, there are three reasons I would ask people to consider re-electing me as their MP - whatever their political views. 

First, at a time of apathy if not cynicism about politics, I have behaved with the basic professional integrity people expect. I live and commute from Thames Ditton, so I am immersed in local community life. I had one of the lowest expenses bills in the House of Commons (in the bottom 10%). Tonight will mark the 45th local public meeting I have held since the 2010 election, to ensure that I am constantly accessible and accountable to you. I have also made clear I would not accept the proposed MP's pay rise as long as the rest of the public sector face a freeze or 1% pay cap.

Second, I have championed our local community. Let me give just a few illustrations. I have taken up the cases and causes of local businesses - from reforming the local parking regime to promote footfall, to securing the extension of the small business discount under the business rates regime. Crucially, I helped secure a doubling of the capital funding for local schools, and over £200 extra per child per year in the 'per pupil' funding - to fund the school building and extension program underway in Elmbridge. I delivered additional investment in flood defences, and campaigned successfully in Parliament for the continuing availability - through government-industry agreement - of affordable home insurance for those in high flood risk areas like ours. I am working with local clinicians to deliver more health care services - from blood tests to dementia screening - in GP practices and our community hospitals. I have supported local civic groups, from Walton Cadets to Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust. And some of my local cases have led to successful national campaigns. To take just one, my campaign based on the murder of a local waiter from Esher led to a change in the law to make it easier to deport foreign criminals.

Third, I have stood up for what I believe in - above all free enterprise, personal liberty and meritocracy. I have consistently made the case as your national representative for the free enterprise that has delivered 2 million new jobs since 2010, through lower taxes and less intrusive regulation - for example through reports like Ease the Squeeze - Tax Cutting Priorities in an Age of Austerity. As a result, we have cut income tax for 26 million, reformed stamp duty, and - if the Conservatives win - we'll raise the threshold for the 40p tax rate. I have stood up for more meritocracy in our society to boost social mobility, and give youngsters more ladders of opportunity regardless of their background. As a result of Conservative reforms, 1 million more children attend schools deemed outstanding or good by Ofsted compared to in 2010. You can also read my Meritocrat's Manifesto here. And I have made the case for personal liberty, campaigning successfully to scrap ID cards, halve pre-charge detention, de-criminalise mere 'insults', protect trial by jury, and block the so-called Snooper's Charter, because I believe we need to cherish the principle of freedom under the law - which underpins our way of life.

Tonight, I hosted a public meeting at Churchgate house in Cobham, pictured below, with around a hundred people turning up to ask questions ranging from the economy and the local free school to the case for legalisation of drugs and the defence budget. 

It was my sixth public meeting in Cobham since the 2010 election, my forty-fifth in total across the constituency, and my last one of these events before polling day! My thanks to everyone who has pitched up, to keep me on my toes, over the last five years. 

Yesterday, Rydens Enterprise School hosted a hustings for their students, which attracted a lot of interest and some great questions. Today, I went to Esher College to speak to students - as pictured below - and we debated a range of issues from austerity to human rights.

I have been thoroughly impressed with the interest and enthusiasm of all the younger voters I have come across in this campaign, and we have some great youngsters involved in our local Conservative campaigning team. 

I sense a huge appetite amongst this rising generation for a positive Conservative vision that allies the job creation that comes with free enterprise to a meritocratic agenda to widen opportunities and revive social mobility.

Last night, all the candidates gathered for the first of the Esher & Walton constituency hustings, hosted by the brilliant Esher Business Guild (EBG) at the Esher civic centre. My thanks to Madeleine, Smita and Ian from the EBG for organising the hustings. It was a good opportunity to remind people about the Conservatives economic record - and the alternative with Ed Miliband.

One interesting point that emerged was how badly partisan attacks on the state of the NHS, especially from the Labour party, went down. One of our local councillers and a longstanding NHS employee, Christine Cross (pictured below), fired up the mood by hitting back at Labour attempts to score cheap political points by scaremongering about the NHS locally. It probably drew the biggest applause of the evening.

With the election looming, I have had a lot of requests to talk to schools and colleges about what happens, what I actually do within the election period, and my take on the national picture. On Friday, I popped into Rowan preparatory school in Claygate, to talk to their Year 6 girls.

They are an exceptionally bright and curious bunch. I spoke and took questions for around an hour - on everything from whether the Queen is more important than the Prime Minister (now there's a curve ball!) to tax cuts. All in all, it was good prep for the election hustings!

Over the last week, I have been interviewed by pupils attending various different local schools, as part of the BBC School Report inititaive. It encourages budding young journalists to conduct interviews - not necessarily with MPs - and publish their films online.

Today, it was the turn of Year 8 students at Hinchley Wood School, who gave me a grilling on getting youngsters more engaged in politics, the government's free schools policy, changes to the school curriculum, and the prospects for online voting.