Summer recess is upon us, which means I have four weeks in Devon without the need to be in parliament. And it feels like a good opportunity to take stock of what has happened over the last crazy month!
The election count seems a distant memory now, but let me just start by saying thank you to everyone who voted for me. We were quite stunned by the result and absolutely thrilled too – I’m sure that goes without saying…
I am deeply honoured to be the Member of Parliament and it is a huge privilege to represent South Devon. I will do my level best to support anyone in the constituency who needs my help, regardless of who they voted for.
My team have already had a couple of successes resolving long-running, tedious issues and disputes for residents, so do contact me if you think we can help.
It’s fair to say that becoming a new Member of Parliament is a strange experience. There are so many things to get to grips with and get used to.
Finding our way around the Palace of Westminster was probably the most obvious challenge – corridors lined with bookcases and portraits all look the same to start with, and getting in the wrong lift means you end up on an unidentifiable landing. Getting lost was an everyday occurrence – though we have all now worked out how to find the Chamber and a cup of tea.
All that was nothing compared to the somewhat bizarre customs of the House of Commons. Where we sit for example – there are no rules, just customs. And with the changed make-up of the House there are challenges.
The Conservatives, as the official Opposition party, have the benches opposite the Labour front bench. Which leaves the second section on the opposition side for the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Reform, the Northern Irish MPs and all the Independents.
Clearly there is not enough room, so prepare to see quite a lot of shuffling around as some of those smaller parties compete for space on the benches – some with sharper elbows than others.
Then there are statements, questions, oral questions, written questions, urgent questions, early day motions, amendments and more… The best way I can describe it is that it started off looking like a really thick pea soup fog. And half way into week three the fog began to lift a little, and the odd landmark became clear. By the time we broke up for recess it was all beginning to make a bit of sense.
Though I’m not sure the system of ‘bobbing’ will ever seem rational (standing up and down throughout a session to catch the Speaker’s eye and get your question in)!
We’ve heard some great maiden speeches. It seems that everyone’s constituency is the prettiest, the most dramatic, the richest in history. I’ve learned about areas of northern England that I’ve never heard of let alone visited – but hearing about the mountains, lakes, ancient buildings and communities make them all sound worthy of a trip. For me that time will come in September after recess – there are a lot of new MPs and many of us will make our first speeches when we return.
But what about the “real work”?
Constituents began writing to me the morning after the election, and it was like a tsunami of emails… over 1,800 by the end of week two. I am clearing the backlog and have some staff in place to help now, so if you had a slow response please accept my apologies for that, but systems are now getting going.
And I’ve begun to meet people, groups and organisations across the constituency who are working on everything from nature restoration to shellfisheries, education to prisoner rehabilitation, those trying to find ways to end the bloodshed in Gaza and people who are still affected by the water contamination in Kingswear and Brixham earlier this year.
It's fascinating and a constant education, and I’m aware that I’m going to learn a lot about a lot of things over the next few years!
As Parliament gets into its stride it will be reconstituting committees, and the Liberal Democrats will now be chairing the Health & Social Care Committee - which Sarah Wollaston used to chair, and also the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
We are really pleased about this as health and the environment were two of our major campaign topics ahead of the election, and I’m sure my colleagues who will be leading those committees will lend weight to the debate around both.
It’s been fascinating, fun, bewildering and exhausting all at once. But I’m looking forward to getting on with the work of being your MP – and hopefully meeting you around the constituency at some point.
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