2 weeks Ago
As an MP, I know there is a lot of confusion about what I do, especially as I spend half of my week in London, working in Parliament, and the other half of it here in Bolton South and Walkden, meeting constituents and local organisations to see how I can help them in my role as their MP. Thanks to The Bolton News , I’m able to give you a full insight into one of my working days in Parliament, as well as a working day in the constituency. These are both days taken from my diary in March, and I hope it gives you a good insight into what I do in Parliament and the constituency on a typical day.
In Parliament 08:30 I arrive at Portcullis House, over the road from the Palace of Westminster, where my office is situated, and catch up on emails that have come in ; I often receive over 300 emails a day and I rely on my staff to highlight the most urgent ones. 08:45 Along with the other 262 women elected in the 2024 General Election, I go into the Commons Chamber to celebrate International Women’s Day, with a record number of women elected to Parliament. Even in times that are as politically divided as they are now, you still had Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves standing side by side with Kemi Badenoch and Priti Patel to mark this momentous achievement.
09:30 After returning to my office to pick up my notes, I spoke in a debate in Westminster Hall, before staying to hear what colleagues from across the different parties had to say. 10:15 After being appointed as a Trade Envoy to Egypt in January, I had a meeting with officials from the Department of Business and Trade to discuss Industrial Strategy and my upcoming visit to Egypt, where I was to champion British businesses looking to expand into Egypt, such as Airbus and AstraZeneca. 11:00 Return to my Parliamentary office for a catch up with my Parliamentary Assistant, where we discussed questions I was planning to ask in the chamber today, as well as discussing the changes made to the Employment Rights Bill in committee.
We also spoke about upcoming events around Public Health, including obesity and dentistry, two causes I am extremely passionate about. 12:35 Back into the House of Commons chamber to hear the Justice Secretary’s statement on bringing about extra sitting days in Crown Courts. I asked the Secretary of State about what the government was doing to speed up the process for serious sexual offences, which are often taking years to come to trial.
13:30: Raised a point of order with the deputy speaker regarding my campaign on behalf of families affected by the drug Primodos 13:40: Left the chamber to meet with colleagues on a number of issues, including MPs who wanted to join my campaign on Primodos. 15:45: Returned to the chamber to speak in the debate on UK security and prosperity highlighting the work of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which I chair, in supporting countries to strengthen their democracy and rule of law. 17:00: I left the Commons Chamber and went back to my office, where I reviewed casework from constituents who had written to me about a range of issues, as well as calling back a constituent who wanted to pass on to me their thanks to my team for the work they had done in resolving her issue.
19:30: After getting the underground to London Euston station, I got the train to Wigan, before my husband picked me up and went back to Bolton to go home. In the Constituency 9:00 I leave the house and go directly to Harper Green School, where I was invited to speak with pupils about being a woman in Politics and to get a tour of the school. 9:30 I meet with the Headteacher at Harper Green, where we spoke about the improvement journey the school has been on, and then went on a tour of the school and seeing some of the brilliant work that their pupils have been doing recently.
I then spoke to a group of Young Leaders in school, where they asked me questions about being an MP and how to effect change locally. 11:00 I head into my constituency office to speak with my caseworkers about the urgent cases my office had been dealing with, as well as checking in with my other staff members. 12:00 I visited Bolton College alongside the Mayor, Cllr Andy Morgan, to see the work they were doing as part of College’s Week.
As well as seeing their state of the art Anatomage Table, which allows students to virtually dissect and visualise the human body; we also got to meet with the college’s brilliant e-sports team, who are putting Bolton at the top of the league tables. 13:00 I returned to the office to return calls to constituents wanting to speak to me about issues and how I can help resolve them. 15:00 As part of my weekly canvassing, I went to Rumworth with Cllr Abdul Atcha to speak to residents about issues in their local area, as well as national issues they wanted to speak to me about.
16:30 Returned to the office to have a meeting with the team and catch up on what we had all done that week, before they left for the day. 17:30 Attended a community event Walkden, and met with local charities, activists, councillors before giving a speech about International Women’s Day 19:30 Returned home with my husband, before unwinding at the end of the day by watching Netflix..
