Aa a constituent of Theresa May, and the new Prime Minister's honorary rabbi, I can reveal a local secret. There are two Theresas.

One is the Theresa that the general public sees, renowned for her no-nonsense approach in Parliament and her steely interviews in the media. The other is the Theresa May that those of us in Maidenhead know, who is warm, friendly and takes a genuine interest in the concerns of local people.

Few Maidonians would challenge the fact that she is a fabulous local MP. It has always been noticeable how much time she spends at a vast range of events - from Darby and Joan Clubs to sixth-form events, from women's groups to charity bazaars.

We expected this to diminish once she became Home Secretary, carrying enormous national demands on her time. Not at all.

Even the most avid Labour voters acknowledge her work-rate and the fact that, despite the heights to which she has risen, she continues to play an active role in local life. One area in which she has been particularly visible is interfaith work. Mrs May regularly attends not just annual meetings of the local group that unites our diverse religious make-up, but many of those during the rest of the year.

She has also come to the synagogue whenever we have had special events, and was a regular visitor to the late Sir Nicholas Winton and a prominent supporter of the campaign to honour his memory.

Among the Jewish community, there are those who disagreed with her policies on immigration and, conscious of their own history, feel we should have a more open-door policy.

However, there are an equal number of admirers, who feel that welcome must be tempered with limitations.

There is a grudging respect from neutrals who recognise that Mrs May does not flinch from taking on hard tasks. We locals are fairly sure, for instance, that the Heathrow issue would not have dragged on interminably if it had been under her watch.

At the last two general elections, I was asked to chair the hustings between all the Maidenhead candidates - the fact that it was a rabbi doing so says much about the role of Jews in local life - and it was noticeable how she attacked her opponents' policies but never the person.

There is every hope that, as Prime Minister, she will raise the tone of Parliamentary debate and make it more about substance, less about pointscoring.

Like every politician, Mrs May has her backers and detractors, but if she acts as conscientiously at Number 10 as she does as a local MP, her premiership will be far more preferable than any alternative option.