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My Work As Your MP
A Member of Parliament, or ‘MP’ for short, is a person elected to represent the people of a specific part of the country in the House of Commons. The House of Commons is the elected chamber of Parliament and the primary law-making body of the United Kingdom. The area that MPs represent in the House of Commons is known as a ‘constituency’, and the people who live there are the MP’s ‘constituents’. If you are a British citizen, you will live in a constituency and the MP for that constituency will be your local MP – if you live within Penrith and the Border, then I am your local MP. Click here to check to that I am your local MP.
Did you know? There are 659 constituencies in the House of Commons, represented by 659 MPs. Penrith and the Border is the largest constituency by area in England. Constituencies are sometimes called ‘seats’.
Choosing your MP
Anyone who wishes to be an MP must first become a ‘candidate’ – this is the name for anyone who puts themselves forward for election. Candidates are normally selected by the local branches of political parties although some people do stand as “independent” candidates. At a general election, every registered voter in every constituency across the country gets the chance to vote for their MP from a list of all the candidates put forward by local parties. In an election, once all the votes have been counted the candidate that received the greatest number of votes becomes that constituency’s MP (this is called the ‘first-past-the-post’ system of election). A general election must be held within five years of the previous one, but the Government can call an election at any time during these five years if it sees fit.
Did you know? MPs are not just elected at general elections when the whole country votes. Sometimes elections are held in single constituencies, for example, because the MP for that particular constituency has died. I was first elected in a by-election in 1983 following the elevation to the peerage of the Rt Hon Viscount Whitelaw KT CH MC, my predecessor as MP for Penrith and the Border.
Roles and duties of an MP
The primary role of an MP is to be an advocate for their constituents and constituency at a national level. This involves various specific duties:
• Raising constituency issues in the House of Commons;
• Helping constituents on matters for which Parliament or central government are responsible e.g. tax problems, the NHS;
• Listening to the views and concerns of constituents and organisations in the constituency (e.g. businesses, charities, schools etc) on issues affected by national Government policy, and raising those concerns with the Government and Ministers.
However, an MP is not just a representative of his or her constituents. An MP also performs an extremely important role as a law-maker (or ‘legislator’). This role involves:
• Voting to approve or reject new laws (or amendments to laws)
• Scrutinising proposed laws
• Holding the Government to account by questioning Ministers on Government policy
• Sitting on committees which examine major issues (‘Select Committees’) or the detail of proposed legislation (‘Standing Committees)
Did you know? You can find out what your MP has been doing by in Parliament by consulting a publication called ‘Hansard’ which records word-for-word all the debates, votes, questions and committee sittings that take place in Parliament. Click here for Hansard online.
Raising concerns with your MP
If you wish to raise a matter with me, click here for my contact details or click here for details of my surgeries ( a surgery is a meeting where you can meet me to discuss a particular issue).
Please note: there is a strict convention at Westminster that Members of Parliament do not seek to intervene in matters affecting the constituents of other MPs. I will only be able to take up your case if you are one of MY constituents. If you are not sure who your MP is you can contact the House of Commons Information Service on 020 7219 4272 or click here to find your MP online. Please note that I also cannot interfere with decisions made by courts.
Of course, there are other ways to try and get your MP to raise specific issues. For example:
Petitions: If you and other people feel strongly about a certain issue, you may decide to organise a petition to the House of Commons. Your petition can only be presented by an MP. It must be arranged in a particular format before your MP can present it. For more advice write to the Clerk of Public Petitions, Journal Office, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
Campaigns and Lobbying: I am often contacted by constituents campaigning on behalf of a particular cause. If you are intending to organise a 'mass lobby' to the House of Commons you must contact the Sergeant at Arms Department (020 7219 3060) well in advance.
Did you know? These ‘mass lobbies’ of Parliament are sometimes called a ‘rally’. High profile rallies in recent months include demonstrations against the war in Iraq and protests to protect fox hunting. Many rallies affect important local public services. For example, in October 2004 I attended a rally of senior police officers concerned about potential cuts in funding for police services. Click here to read about this rally.
Further Information on Parliament
If you would like any further, or more detailed, information on the work of the House of Commons and Lords, you should visit Parliament’s website. In particular, you should visit the page of factsheets provided by Parliament to explain what happens in Westminster. The page of frequently asked questions is also extremely useful.
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