On May 13 (today), a new session of Parliament will begin with the King’s Speech and the pomp, ceremony and history of a state opening.
It’s just the second session of Parliament since I was elected in July 2024 and is a crucial one for the country.
I’ll return to the politics in future columns, but today I wanted to share a little about what it’s like to work in Westminster.
Typically, I am in Westminster from Monday to Thursday – with debates and votes running until 10pm on a Monday and a little earlier the rest of the week.
I spoke more than 100 times in the House of Commons chamber in that first session of Parliament and it’s all televised and documented on Hansard.
What goes on in the chamber of the House of Commons naturally commands lots of public interest, but is just a fraction of the job.
I am a permanent member of the Housing and Local Government Select Committee and we meet weekly as part of our work to hold the Department to account, holding hearings with subject matter experts, civil servants and ministers.
In the weeks before the last session of Parliament ended, I was also a member of the Public Bill Committee on Representation of the People Bill.
In short, our role was to go through the Representation of the People Bill line by line, offering in-depth scrutiny before it returns to the House of Commons chamber for the next stage.
It’s a vital piece of legislation that lowers the voting age to 16 and places much tighter restrictions on who can donate to UK political parties, especially if they are not living in our country.
Parliament is not just about legislation and committee rooms, it is the home of our democracy and open to all.
Schools are able to book tours via the brilliant Education Centre team – and I always recommend it to Welwyn Hatfield schools.
I also do my best to host bespoke tours for local constituents and while there is a waiting list, you are more than welcome to register your interest via Andrew.lewin.mp@parliament.uk
This week, you’ll see the King in the House of Lords, pageantry and traditions that are centuries old and even one or two people speaking Norman French (a quirk that dates back to the 14th century), but Parliament is also a welcoming and open place to the public and long may that continue.
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