Business as usual resumed in the Commons today. First up, was a private meeting of the Defence Committee. Having not met for a while there was quite a bit sort out. I consequently missed the Urgent Question on fracking, which the new minister Jacob Rees-Mogg dealt with. He spoke a lot of common sense and the ban on fracking was lifted. With enormous pressures on energy, it is mad not to have another look at this. I then dropped into the Chamber to hear the new Health Secretary, Therese Coffey, make her Statement, where she set out her priorities. I had wanted to ask a question and bobbed up and down for the 80 minute session, but was not successful on this occasion. I had a long-standing Teams meeting with a constituent and then sat down with my parliamentary team to go through correspondence and the diary. Minister Lee Rowley called me about these new investment zones, which Dorset Council officials are working hard on. The House finished business at about 1800. Meanwhile, the Bank of England raised interest rates from 1.75% to 2.25% - the highest level for 14 years - and warned the UK may already be in a recession. A British man who was sentenced to death after being captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine thanked President Zelensky as he arrived back at his family home. Some 40,000 rail workers will walk out on Saturday 8 October for what will be the third day of rail strikes next month. And, interestingly, queues sprang up along Russia's border as men attempted to leave the country to avoid a military call-up for the war in Ukraine. Another sign that Putin's reign is coming to an end.