I must admit that when I was first elected to Parliament in 2015, I didn’t imagine that I would one day take part in Prime Minister’s Questions – or at least, not as one of the two principals. As a backbench MP, I asked PMQs on subjects including better mobile signal in rural villages; funding for Gainsborough’s House; and the benefits of an offshore grid. This was to Prime Minsters Cameron, May and Johnson in that order.
I never got called for PMQs in Liz Truss’s brief tenure, and by the time Rishi Sunak was in Number 10 I’d become a Minister, and so wasn’t able to. Since the general election, I’ve been in the Shadow Cabinet, as Shadow Defence Secretary, and therefore again unable to participate in asking a PMQ from the backbenches.
But my status as a pure spectator in the week’s most popular political event was suspended on a one-off basis when, earlier this month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was away in Brazil. The Leader of the Opposition typically doesn’t participate when the PM is absent, and in such circumstances, it’s been Kemi Badenoch’s tradition to take turns asking other members of her Shadow Cabinet to cover for her. On Monday 3rd November she messaged me in the morning to ask if I would do it – ‘sounds like fun’, I replied.
I would find myself facing the Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy. It’s fair to say the six-question showdown did not proceed as planned.
An hour before PMQs was due to begin at midday on 5th November, I had six questions ready on the economy. I should have guessed this might not hold, given the event was taking place on Guy Fawkes, the day we commemorate the foiling of plans to blow up Parliament by letting off all manner of fireworks.
In fact, with little notice events intervened, requiring me to alter the line of questioning with minutes to spare, and switch to the critical matter of whether the Justice Secretary was aware of any further cases of prisoners released ‘in error’. I’ll leave it to others to judge whether I did the right thing in repeating my question five times, when David Lammy failed to answer; though it would soon transpire that he knew the answers, just chose not to share them.
What I can say for certain is that it was an absolute pleasure and privilege to participate in the great ritual of PMQs, replete with deafening noise and a sense of all-encompassing chaos that may be hard to appreciate, looking on. As it was half term, my family were watching from the public gallery, and this was certainly ‘one to tell the grandchildren’.
Returning to South Suffolk from the maelstrom of the PMQ bearpit, it was something of a relief to participate in an all-day ‘drumathon’ in Nayland Village Hall, raising thousands of pounds for Lizzie’s Fund – a great cause that funds research into childhood brain tumours. I not only met Lizzie’s parents, showing such courage to fundraise so publicly and energetically, but also got a go behind the drumkit myself, providing a little relief for George, the principal drummer who would end up literally bashing away almost without a break from 10am-10pm.
From the wider constituency point of view, I remain concerned about the economic picture, especially the recent spike in unemployment. That’s why it’s been a particular priority in recent weeks to engage with local businesses and understand their sense of where the economy is going, given the Budget is just days away.
From the owners of Rainbow Fun, a soft play centre in Sudbury, worried about business rates; to local farmers threatened by the Family Farm Tax; to hospitality and pretty much every other type of business suffering the impact of higher Employers’ National Insurance, I’ve been speaking to those who create our wealth - and getting a pretty gloomy response.
As I’ve written previously, what we need is a Government that truly understands business, and takes positive steps to back entrepreneurs. Whereas, it has to be said that in recent weeks we’ve had nothing but demoralising speculation and a swirl of conflicting messages, from both Rachel Reeves and the PM.
So I never did get to ask my six questions on the economy to the Deputy Prime Minister. But when it comes to the Budget next week, Rachel Reeves will not be able to ‘do a Lammy’ and avoid the answers – she will finally have to come clean on her tax plans.
Published in the Suffolk Free Press.
