Jack of all trades: how can MPs fulfil all their roles?
About the event
Following the general election of May 2010, 226 new MPs arrived at Westminster – a larger intake than any election since 1945.
In this context, the Institute and the Hansard Society decided to explore the different roles MPs play through a treble of seminars at the three party conferences. This page contains a summary of the fringe meeting at this year's Labour party conference on 28 September.
The panel
Our panel comprised:
- Stella Creasy MP
- Jack Straw MP
- John Cryer MP
- Polly Toynbee (The Guardian)
Chair: Ruth Fox (Director of Parliament and Government, Hansard Society)
BackJack be quick
'Jack of all Trades' was definitely the right title for our fringe event at Labour conference. After a very busy Jack Straw finished his final speech as a front bencher, he loyally dashed across the road to the fringe hotel, dodging the media, to discuss a subject close to his heart – the role of an MP.
The room was packed with MPs, former candidates, as well as the constituency staff who tirelessly support them. Joining Jack on the panel were Stella Creasy MP, John Cryer MP, Polly Toybnee and Dr Ruth Fox of Hansard in the Chair.
Cyberspace or face to face?
John Cryer amused us with stories of how MPs used to behave – there was certainly no golden age of the MP. One Duke arrived at his constituency to promptly leave as soon as he got there – not to his taste. Another MP used to live abroad and never met his constituents – so much for localism.
But John didn't support the idea of more independent MPs as he felt there needed to be clear accountability to the public and stability.
Stella Creasy began with a gripe – 22,000 emails in six months. At first she said she tried to respond to them all (how?), now it's a case of doing what she can. But the pressure to be here, there and everywhere on earth and in cyberspace means communication suffers.
Stella also lamented the days where she could argue with her partner in Sainsbury's – something we all sympathised with.
Get on your soap box
Jack Straw is clearly a constituency man to his core – he once heard a complaint he spoke too much about them!
His advice to the new MPs struggling with competing demands on their time? Just get out the soap box and talk face to face with residents. Yes, he acknowledged, it may seem old fashioned – but those constituency meetings had solved problems that 22,000 emails couldn't have.
His passion for his multi-cultural Blackburn constituency was clear, and he felt it had to have the opportunity for people to get together and discuss. Jack felt MPs are more answerable now to voters – and so they should be.
Polly Toynbee had an altogether different take. She agreed MPs are time pressured, but that there are too many. Fewer MPs, a tighter remit and more help with day to day issues from councillors would help. She also felt the 'profession' suffered from a lack of status which should be corrected.
Trying to get a word in
Open to questions, one MP said she could not fathom how parliament helps her do her job. What role does the chamber have for her when she cannot even get a word in? How do you get on the list to speak? Where is the list?
Jack agreed this was not helpful but also added that speaking to the House was more terrifying than the Today Programme's 08:10 slot (Today producers might want to take note).
A final question came from a former PPC. She asked how the role of MP could be made more attractive for women? At this point people got restless. Ed Miliband's speech was in 30 minutes and this was a big question.
As the stampede out the door began, we couldn't hear the answer – but it was concluded that definitely more work was to be done on that.
