After seven weeks of campaigning across the country, Boris Johnson has been elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party and, subsequently, our new Prime Minister. Both Mr Hunt and Mr Johnson presented a positive vision for the UK’s domestic agenda, too, and as a newly appointed Government Whip I look forward to helping Mr Johnson deliver on the commitments he made during the campaign to further improve our vital public services.
In my role as a Whip I will be working closely with the newly appointed Chief Whip, Mark Spencer, to secure Government business in Parliament and gather support for Mr Johnson’s domestic agenda, as well as for his ongoing negotiations with the European Union. I am looking forward to getting stuck in to this new role and to help pass legislation that will benefit Mid Worcestershire residents. Whips count and announce the results of votes in the Commons, but they are also responsible for ensuring the Government wins those votes, and with a small majority that’s an important job. They also ensure a two-way flow of communications between Ministers and MPs.
It’s true that being a Whip means fewer speaking opportunities in the House of Commons chamber, but, because Whips are at the centre of both government and Parliament, I can promise my constituents that I will be able to work just as hard and just as effectively for their interests as I have up to now. Their interests remain my number one priority.
Sadly, however, my new role does mean that I must move on from my role as a Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, a position which I have thoroughly enjoyed holding over the past five months which allowed me to become closely involved in overseeing some of the leadership campaign activities and hustings. It has been rewarding to see Party members so engaged with the process, and I am pleased that it was a well-organised contest and I thank everybody who was involved, enabling it to run smoothly. I wish my successor well in the role.
