May 2015
What an incredible month May was. Having been out and about from the start of the year visiting companies and organisations and canvassing and meeting constituents – at the start of May campaigning had reached fever pitch. The days leading up to Polling Day on May 7th were frenetic and not much sleep was involved whilst the local election candidates, volunteers and I gave a massive final push towards Election Day. I can genuinely say I enjoyed every minute of the campaign. Being elected as MP for the Bury St Edmunds constituency and getting to know the area and its people has been a huge privilege and something words of gratitude do not do justice to. To all those people who supported me I send you a very big thank you.
After hearing the election results in the not so early hours of Friday 8th May, the rest of the day was a bit of a sleep deprived blur which involved me speaking to journalists and other member of the press, I also was able to speak on the phone with some of my new governmental colleagues and found out who my Parliamentary Whip is. The weekend I spent with my family who gave me their unfailing support throughout my campaign and before, whilst being selected to run as MP.
So, I hit the ground running arriving in Westminster as a new girl on Monday 11th May. At that time none of the newly elected MP’s had an office, or staff, or even a desk. The administrative block of Westminster, Portcullis House, has a large atrium and it is there that everyone congregates, sharing tables and printers and clamouring for help from the IT department – much like any other company with a huge intake of new staff. The first week was taken up with induction training which consists of all kinds of things from finding your way around within Westminster, getting an authorisation pass, completion of forms for parking permits and finding out where the canteen is, to other issues focusing on things like selection of All Party Parliamentary Groups; finding out about Bills and Committees; meeting other new and returning MPs, and recruiting new staff. My first engagement within the Constituency that week was to County Upper School in Bury St Edmunds to meet with the head teacher Vicky Neale. I was also very pleased to be able to get together at the Farmer’s Club with some of my fellow candidates for the Town and Local elections, it was great to catch up in a more relaxed setting than the previous months’ schedules had allowed.
During the following week in Westminster I was involved in further training and the huge task of swearing in of all 650 MPs started. I was sworn in on Wednesday May 20th, another incredible moment that I will remember forever. The swearing in process takes all week with each Member of Parliament either pledging or swearing allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law. The oath has its origins in the Magna Carta which reaches its 800th anniversary on 15th June 2015. During this week I was able to make progress with staff and finding out more about how the background administrative functions of the Parliamentary system work. Back to the Constituency late Thursday night and on Friday I, along with new St Edmundsbury Mayor Patrick Chung, opened the new premises of Precision Engineering in Bury St Edmunds. Precision Engineering have been able to expand their business as a result of grant support from Grants4Growth and the Growing Business Fund. This has led to the creation of 20 new jobs within the company and helped with the launch of a new healthcare products business. Precision are passionately committed to environmental sustainability and it was great to hear that they were heavily influenced by workshops held by Suffolk Council, West Suffolk College, Suffolk Carbon Leaders & Carbon Smart. That same afternoon I held my first MP Surgery and saw a number of constituents who needed help and/or advice on a variety of matters. For information about future surgeries please contact the office. That evening I attended ‘A Slice of Saturday Night’ at Conservatoire East at West Suffolk College – an incredible show put on by some extremely talented students who without doubt have very bright futures ahead of them. I fully expect to hear that some will be on stage in the West End. On Saturday night I was honoured to be at a different but equally brilliant musical event – the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra performed at the Cathedral playing Wagner, Beethoven and Saint-Saëns. An absolutely spectacular performance.
The late May bank holiday meant I could have a weekend with my husband and 4 children, 2 of whom are in the middle of their A Level examinations – things are sometimes a little fraught in the Churchill household as it’s a hugely stressful time and my sympathies and good luck wishes go out to all those students who are in the middle of GCSE’s A Levels and degree finals. One final furlong, as they say in the racing world, and the hard work will soon be over. Just results to worry about after that!
On Wednesday 27th May I attended the State Opening of Parliament. May has been an incredible month. Being involved in the ceremony with Black Rod and hearing and seeing the Queen’s Speech (my husband was lucky enough to also be able to come along) was amazing. To be part of such a traditional and important ceremony was quite breath-taking. I was allocated an office this week which I share with my researchers and hopefully by the end of June computers will be installed. I travelled back to Suffolk and the following day attended the Suffolk Show. What a brilliant showcase for everything Suffolk – fabulous livestock, food, agriculture, small business and culture – all in one place.
And that was May. It has absolutely flown by. The work of Parliament is now beginning and I am very much looking forward to listening and participating in Parliamentary debates and voting. If you want to get in touch please email [email protected]