Mail Weekly Column: 18 April 2022

Despite being recess, so Parliament not sitting over Easter, it has been a week with politics very much in people’s minds.

On Monday, Ali Harbi Ali was convicted in just 18 minutes by a jury of his peers of the murder of Sir David Amess and of preparing acts of terrorism. He was given a whole-life sentence. This offered a moment of catharsis, but also brought back the same feelings of sadness and loss for a good man who had done nothing but care deeply for his community, and fought strongly for it, had his life ended by a terrorist who had waited patiently in his constituency surgery before acting.

The immediate news afterwards focused not just on Sir David’s remarkable legacy, but on the safety measures that people fortunate enough to have my job may have to take in the future.

I held a surgery only a few days after Sir David’s death and continue to do so on at least a weekly basis. It’s a key part of the job - in many ways, the best part. Seeing people face to face, hearing their views, helping them through tricky times, sometimes just listening, is what this job is about. To lose that would be to lose something very important and precious about our democracy - our link with the same people who elect us, and who we are privileged to represent on a daily basis.

I’ve felt that keenly over the last couple of weeks as I have been out and about in Furness, holding surgeries and knocking on people’s doors to hear first hand how they think things are going, and to learn about their concerns, and what they want to see change in their local community. Some of those conversations are terse, others very funny, others again lead to casework that my team pick up, but they are a key part of the job - a physical reminder that (whether or not you chose to vote for me!), I am there to listen and to help as best as I am able.

The idea of not doing that, or of being trailed by a hulking security guard as I did it, simply doesn’t sit right with me. And frankly I think the conversations with constituents might be a little shorter and a little less open with someone stood over my shoulder too!

The other political news was, of course, the levying of fines against the PM and Chancellor.

I have been robust on this issue since the suggestion that lockdown rules were broken by those in Number 10 some months ago. Breaking the rules that you yourself are responsible for setting is just unacceptable, and is doubly the case given the sacrifices that this imposed on others.

But I have taken the view that as these fines were issued for an unscheduled event where staff in No 10 surprised the PM with a birthday cake for less than 10 minutes before the work day continued, it would not be proportionate to take action that might remove the Prime Minister from office and destabilise the government for months. And while I understand why people would be unsatisfied with this position, it’s my honest view, come to after much thought.

I remain to see what develops over the coming weeks on this issue. And, as ever, I will listen closely to your thoughts and views on this and any other topic you wish to raise with me while I am fortunate enough to be your MP.

I hope that you’ve all had a restful Easter!