There’s nothing quite like a surprise general election to turn an MP’s life upside down. One moment my team and I were working on constituents’ problems, the next it was all hands on deck to hit the streets and win your vote.
After all that it’s good to be getting back into the rhythms of life at Westminster. Representing our town in Parliament is a job I’m hugely proud of, and I’m glad to be getting on with it.
It was humbling to receive such a strong vote of confidence from this community, but there’s no denying that nationally it was a surprising and disappointing night for the Conservative Party.
Some of my respected colleagues lost their seats, and without an overall majority there will be plenty of difficult moments in the House of Commons as we meet the challenges of the next few years.
As I hear more about the campaign, it strikes me that we’re very lucky to have such a strong and respectful civic culture here in Solihull. In my experience every candidate fought the election in the right spirit, and we had a productive debate on some of the issues which matter most to local residents. We also welcomed the first-ever Muslim candidate to contest the seat.
I think that both parties could learn from how we do things here. I’ve heard about too many other constituencies where local issues were sidelined by tone-deaf national campaigning or drowned out by angry rhetoric.
This is an especially important message to remember this week, after thousands of Britons took part in the Great British Get Together over the weekend. This was a series of hundreds of events organised nationwide to celebrate the memory of Jo Cox, the MP so tragically murdered during the EU referendum, and remind us that we have more in common than divides us.
Now that the sound and fury of the campaign is behind us I hope we can all carry that same spirit into our work in Parliament, especially when the lack of an overall majority means we may often need to work cross-party to pass laws and serve the public.
If you or somebody you know needs assistance, please don’t hesitate to call my office on 0121 709 0458. My team and I are here to help.
Originally published in the Solihull Observer, 22/06/17.