One year as MP for Guildford and our villages!
It’s a year to the day since I had the privilege of being elected as the Guildford constituency’s Member of Parliament. I cannot believe that 12 months have already passed, and I want to use this newsletter to share a bit more about what it is like settling in as a new MP.
Becoming a new MP
I found out I had at won just before 6am on the 5th of a July. This was my third attempt, and after a sleepless night of nervous anticipation whilst the votes were counted in the sports hall of the Spectrum, it was an emotional moment. I’m extremely grateful to all of you who placed your trust in me.
Unlike in the USA (where newly elected politicians have a 3-month crossover), the UK has no transition period. This means there’s no staff crossover. On day one as a new MP, you have no office, no staff team and no job description.
On Monday 8th July, I travelled to Westminster for the first time. I was pleased to be joined on the train up by two Liberal Democrat colleagues in Will Forster, Woking’s new MP and Jess Brown-Fuller, Chichester’s new MP.
After a group photo of all 72 Lib Dem MPs, we headed to party event. I rather embarrassingly nearly sat on everyone’s favourite member of the Lib Dem team, Jennie (Steve Darling’s guide dog) and ended up crouched and hovering over her whilst the press were filming!
Day two, I received my Parliamentary laptop. My email had been switched on almost instantly on my election and my inbox was already bursting with more than 1000 emails from constituents. I won’t lie, it was overwhelming to try to sift through the emails and work out the urgent from the not, and then try and help when there’s no guidebook to how to navigate government departments, etc.
To add to the fun (read chaos!) the Parliamentary estate is huge. There are seven buildings hosting 650 MPs and their staff, plus the Lords and hundreds of other staff. These include the Place of Westminster itself, which alone has more than 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8 km of passageways. It’s taken quite a while to learn my way around and I spent much of my first few weeks getting lost!
On 10th July I was sworn in as an MP alongside Will Forster and Dr Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath). Swearing in is an important moment as it marks the point you officially become an MP, but it was made extra special by doing so alongside two MPs I count as constituency neighbours and close friends. We even made time for a cheeky celebratory 0% half pint afterwards to mark the occasion.
Then, just as I felt I was finding my feet in Parliament, we went into summer recess on 30th July.
Summer recess
At this point, I’d only just hired my first staff member – a Parliamentary assistant, shared with Will Forster. Recess is a total shutdown of Parliament meaning it gave me the perfect opportunity to crack on with recruiting my team and meet with lots of fantastic local organisations, attend events right across Guildford and constituents and speak with numerous wonderful constituents.
I have been involved in politics locally for a long time now – I was first elected as a councillor for Stoke ward in 2008 – but it still amazes me just how many incredible local organisations we have. I learn about more every single week, and I would like to thank everyone involved for what you do for our community.
Getting Back to Work in Parliament
Parliament returned from recess on 2nd September and on the 11th, I made my maiden speech. This is a hugely important moment, as prior to making a maiden speech new MPs are not allowed to speak in the House of Commons. I realised afterward that I’d inadvertently made this speech on the same date as I was first elected as a councillor for Stoke ward (Bellfields and Slyfield) 18 years earlier in 2008!
By October, I’d finally filled my staff team. As I have mentioned, there is no job description for an MP, you are free to shape the role as you please – and this includes how you spend your staff budget.
For me, casework was always going to be the focus of my staff team. I got into politics to make Guildford a better place, and this is the unseen work at the heart of that mission. My team and I help hundreds of people a month with an enormous range of issues.
So far, we’ve helped more than a thousand people with personal cases and we have had some notable success stories. I’m pleased to have been able to help secure the return of £10,000 to a pensioner who had been wrongfully charged, and to have helped move a woman into safer accommodation away from her abuser to name a couple of examples.
Pushing for change beyond the Commons Chamber
As an MP, I’m also involved in a lot of other unseen work in Parliament as I’ve shaped the role to suit me. I’m a member of the Culture Media and Sport Committee, which involves taking a look at what we already have across this sector and working out how to improve it. A recent example of this is live comedy.
Live comedy is estimated to generate more than £1 billion a year for the UK economy, yet never before had it been given voice in Parliament. The state of live comedy hearing, proposed by the Live Comedy Association (LCA), gave us the opportunity to spotlight previously unheard issues and challenges facing its continued success.
Committee recommendations are powerful; we publish our findings in a report and the government is expected to respond. It’s a role I take extremely seriously, and I am proud to be making a positive contribution to our vital cultural, sporting and creative industries – industries that are so important across Guildford and our villages.
I’m also a Lib Dem party whip, I’m on the Ecclesiastical Committee and a part of the Speaker's Conference – a special committee set up by the Speaker of the Commons to look at MPs safety and make recommendations about the arrangements necessary to secure free and fair elections and the appropriate protection of candidates.
On top of this, a huge proportion of my time recently has been spent as one of two Lib Dem members on the Mental Health Bill Committee. Bill Committees go through the detail of a bill line-by-line to improve it and ensure it is as effective as possible. It’s time-consuming, but extremely important work. I was particularly keen to be on this committee as, since becoming MP, I’ve heard from people (and their families) experiencing mental health problems that current support needs to be improved, and being on this committee has given me the opportunity to push for that.
These committees are a real area of cross-party cooperation that the public rarely sees. They are a far cry from the scenes so often broadcast of the Chamber during Prime Ministers Questions. They are a shining example MPs working together for the good of our country.
The quirks of Westminster
Westminster is an incredibly unique place. Parts of the Palace date back 1,000 years and its traditions reflect this. Voting for example. This is an archaic process! When the division bell rings MPs have to dash to the correct voting lobby within eight minutes.
It’s even more ridiculous if you’re voting as a proxy, as I have a number of times. As a proxy, you’re voting on behalf of another MP, but you’re not necessarily voting the same way! I’ve had to vote in one lobby and then run around to a holding pen and hope I make it into the other lobby before the eight-minute cut off!
Another quirk is the Speaker’s procession – a ceremonial procession from the Speaker’s House to the Chamber at the start of each day's business. The procession moves comically slowly and consists of a Commons' Doorkeeper (who yells “Speaker” frequently as they move through the corridors), the Sergeant at Arms with the mace, the Speaker, the Trainbearer, Chaplain and Secretary.
One morning I was trying to make it into the Chamber from my office upstairs in the Palace before the Speaker arrived, only to nearly run straight into him on procession as I dashed out of the lift and round a corner. Thankfully I didn’t (I don’t think he or the mace-carrying Sergeant would have been amused!) and by using one of the short cuts I now (finally!) know, I made it to the Chamber just ahead of him.
And Finally…
Being an MP is a job I truly love. It is a privilege to serve the place I’ve called home since 1999. Every morning I wake up and look forward to what the day ahead is going to bring, how many people can say that?
Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart for putting your trust in me to serve Guildford constituency in this way. I look forward to fighting alongside you for more positive change in the year ahead.