My mission in Watford is to break down the barriers to employment for disabled people. I want to help create more equal opportunities in the world of work so that everyone who wants to can lead a fulfilling professional life.

I recently invited Sarah Newton MP, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, to visit Watford. I took her to see Watford Workshop, a charity which I’m proud to be patron of. Watford Workshop provides work experience, skills training and employment for people of working age with a disability and/or learning difficulty.

Nationally, we are working towards seeing one million more disabled people in work by 2027, partly through the Disability Confident scheme, which I have been championing in Watford. This week I am writing to local businesses to encourage them to sign up to this scheme which helps employers open up their work force to disabled people.

I’m delighted that more than 30 local companies have already signed up to the scheme, including Warner Bros., John Lewis and Sigma Pharmaceuticals. But more needs to be done. That’s why I’m also working closely with West Herts College, which runs a supported internship programme for students with disabilities and we are trying to make more employers aware of the benefits of signing up to this.

Watford is home to nearly 11,000 businesses and so we could make a real difference to the lives of disabled people across the county. By signing up to be Disability Confident and/or by taking on just one supported intern, you could discover someone your business just can’t do without.

- Richard Harrington is Conservative MP for Watford