Do you have a constituent in mind when you’re standing up representing them in parliament?

“I always try to tell a constituent story when I’m in parliament. Whenever there’s PMQs, I sit down with my team and my first question is always: which cases can we raise? My job is to raise the voice of my constituents in front of the people who have got the power to make change.

One case I’m bringing to parliament today is a constituent who had been waiting overnight in A&E with no bed, sleeping on a plastic chair with no pillow, only to be told he couldn’t have surgery that day as there were no beds. I told his story in the Commons as an example of what so many people across the country are going through with the NHS.”

What piece of criticism as a politician has stuck in your mind?

“I have a lot of respect for criticism when that criticism is related to how I’m doing my job as an MP. However, where it crosses the line is when people criticise aspects of myself that are unrelated to being an MP, such as my appearance. I’ve had people make comments about my hair, clothes and there was one time when I was on the local radio that someone wrote online that my voice is too high. We need to focus on what MPs stand for, the real stuff.”

What was the last lie you told?

“My partner is a huge Chelsea fan and she recently asked me if I minded if she watched the game on the TV all afternoon. To which the answer is of course, yes, it’s fine. I’m not a big football fan, so yes, that was a small lie.

In politics, I try not to lie. The worst it gets is if you have to omit something because you don’t have time to tell the whole story, especially in PMQs when you have 30 seconds to speak. You have to pick and choose the most important information to get across.”

How do you keep your brain sharp?

“I love playing video games; I always have at least one on the go. I’ve got a PlayStation and a Nintendo and I’m currently working my way through the Super Mario games.”

Why should a voter trust you?

“It might not always be in our electoral interests, but the Lib Dems will always tell you how it is. We’re never afraid to be on the right side of history and raise those big issues, even if they’re not massively popular at the time. So, I would say look at what we do and let our actions speak. We put our constituents first. You get a high level of service with a Lib Dem MP and we will do our best, no case work is too little or insignificant.”

What would make you walk away from politics?

“If I ever felt that I wasn’t putting my whole heart and soul into this job, then I’d give way to someone who would be able to do that. This job is such an incredible privilege and I don’t take a single day for granted. But that’s also balanced against all the personal abuse, and that’s hard. It can make it difficult to get up in the mornings but the drive and passion keeps me going.

We’re seeing so many good people leaving parliament because of the abuse many of us get and it’s sad to witness. I hope we can create better politics and that comes right from the top.”

What keeps you awake at night?

“I love a general election. I love speaking to people on doors and finding out what they want. But as much as it’s an exciting prospect, it’s also very stressful. We have no idea when the next election will be and that uncertainty only adds to the stress. It keeps things interesting, that’s for sure.”

Answer The Question is Stylist’s home for all things voting and elections. In the series, we sit down with MPs from across the political spectrum to get to the heart of who they are and, more importantly, why we should trust them with our vote.

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