Lessons to be learned for new recruits to Westminster ranks

The last six months have seen Westminster politics thrown into chaos by a snap election, bogged down by Brexit factionalism and thrust into the middle of a national sexual harassment scandal.

So it’s fair to say that Yorkshire’s new intake of MPs have been dropped into the political deep end.

The Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy has endured a particularly steep “learning curve” after being made a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer within weeks of her election.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post as Parliament enters Christmas recess, she explains that the position has not only provided a unique insight into the intricacies of the Brexit debate, but also the wider mechanisms at work in the political machine.

“I spend an awful lot of time in the chamber for all the EU debates, watching the different relationships people have, the different ways things are negotiated, the things that are pushed to the vote and the things that aren’t, and how this evolves throughout the eight hour debate. It’s been fascinating,” she says.

“I feel like I understand a lot more about the different issues and the different benefits [surrounding Brexit], and it’s been interesting seeing the amount of cross-bench support there are for different things.”

“I found my skills as a teacher have also come in handy,” she adds, “Particularly being prepared.

“You have to get all the papers ready and printed out for the start of the ‘lesson’ and hand them out to everyone when they come in.”

Outside of the Brexit debate, one of Hardy’s major campaigns has been raising awareness of the possible dangers of surgical mesh implants. R

Reports suggest up to one in 15 women fitted with transvaginal mesh – often to treat complications resulting from childbirth – go on to have it removed due to side-effects such as cuts, scarring and chronic pain.

Following a Westminster Hall debate earlier this year, Hardy says 2018 will see her continuing to push for a full Government inquiry to uncover the true scale of injuries suffered by those who have had mesh fitted.

She also wants to see a tightening of the rules to ensure all women are properly informed of the risks associated with the procedure before they undergo surgery.

Fellow teacher and Colne Valley MP Thelma Walker has also been learning to adjust to the “rythms” of Parliament.

After a career dominated by the strict schedule of a school day, she claims it has taken some time to “give myself up to the fact there isn’t a timetable”.

But the challenge of juggling the various demands on her time has been made much easier now that she has a team of staff assisting her. She reveals that they keep each other in the loop through their own WhatsApp group under the name “#TeamWalker”.

“One of the things I’ve had to learn [is] to try and get that balance between Parliament and commitments in the constituency,” she says.

“I do feel that the advice surgeries are a priority for me, because that’s where one to one, face to face, you can really listen to people.

“We’ve just had a heart warming case recently where we have managed to help somebody who was struggling to get benefit support.

“That [case] gives you the feeling of ‘this is why I came into politics, this is why I became an MP’.”

One of the biggest issues in Walker’s constituency is the proposed closure of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary’s Accident and Emergency department and the relocation of some services to Halifax. This would mean Huddersfield was left without a full A&E department.

In July, local councillors voted to refer the plans to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to make a final decision.

Local campaigners have vociferously opposed the proposals, which will save the NHS £175m but are reliant on pursuing a new Private Finance Initiative deal, in which a private firm funds upfront construction costs and the money is paid back over several decades at a more expensive rate.

The MP believes there is cause for optimism about the future of the hospital as she notes the growing number of MPs raising similar concerns about downgrades and unit closures in their constituencies.

“I’m seeing a shift that some of these proposals are now not happening,” she says.