I’m going to say something that might surprise people: Hilary Armstrong has a point. It’s hard for MPs to come in to the HoC & almost immediately be promoted to a Shadow Cabinet role, as happened to @LauraPidcock. That meteoric rise has consequences. 1/10 politicshome.com/news/uk/uk-reg…
People’s perceptions in the constituency were that @LauraPidcock had her sights set on the top. Anyone who knows her, knows that isn’t true. I remember sitting together as a team in the 1st few weeks, where we made a commitment that the constituency would always come 1st. 2/10
If you look through @LauraPidcock’s social media, you’ll see how much of her time was devoted to surgeries, public meetings, visits & campaigning within NW Durham. You’ll also see that none of those posts & tweet would get half the traction that the national stories would. 3/10
So much of the work that MPs like Laura do in their constituency is behind the scenes: alongside caseworkers & office staff, helping people daily (sometimes - no exaggeration - changing their lives). By necessity, little of that can be shared publicly. People don’t see it. 4/10
There was this myth that went round local Facebook groups (and no doubt in the pubs) that Laura was just ‘out for herself’. An image grew up, based on the media coverage & exacerbated, ironically, by the praise that she got nationally. But it was a perception, not a reality. 5/10
Of course, as Hilary points out, MPs need to bed in, preferably on the backbenches, while they get to know their constituency & gain trust. But there are two important things that need to be said about Laura’s acceptance of a Shadow Cabinet position at such an early stage. 6/10
Firstly, the position offered was close to her heart: @LauraPidcock was ‘brought up’ in the trade union movement & the opportunity to develop a Ministry of Labour (later Employment Rights) alongside @JohnHendyQC, with all that would mean for workers, couldn’t be dismissed. 7/10
It wasn’t part of a career plan, or a manoeuvre to get her closer to power, but stemmed from a deep sense of responsibility to that movement & the practical improvement of people’s lives. Right up until polling day, Laura was optimistic that this historic shift could happen. 8/10
Secondly, let’s just ask why @LauraPidcock & those like her - without experience & time on the back benches, had to step up. Well, there was a simple reason for that & it was the co-ordinated resignations by Shadow Cabinet members in 2016 & the refusal to serve after 2017. 9/10
It’s not about @LenMcCluskey or @jeremycorbyn pulling Laura’s strings: it was a desire to change people’s lives wherever possible, in NW Durham & throughout the UK. An ambitious, dynamic @UKLabour MP, who - yes - lost her seat for many reasons, but who deserves our support. 10/10
