How to be an MP

(Paperback, Revised ed.)

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Not for everyone the title of Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary or other such hallowed callings; the vast majority of the House of Commons is made up of backbenchers - the power behind the constitutionally elected throne. Here is a guide for anyone and everyone fascinated by the quirks and foibles of Westminster Palace, covering all species of backbencher and providing every hardworking MP and political enthusiast with the know-how to survive life in Parliament. From how to address the crowd, weather marital troubles and socialise at party conference to the all-important Backbenchers' Commandments, How to be an MP is indispensable reading for anyone wishing to make a mark from the back bench and influence proceedings in the House. And in the process it provides the outsider with a riveting insight into life as a Member.

Author Bio

Paul Flynn was the MP for Newport West from 1987 until his death in 2019. In 2016, aged eighty-one, he served as shadow Secretary of State for Wales and shadow Leader of the House of Commons, making him the oldest MP to hold a shadow Cabinet position in over a century. Described by the Welsh First Minister as `a giant of the Welsh Labour movement, he was hailed by the Prime Minister as `an outstanding parliamentarian and a tireless campaigner. The late political sketchwriter Simon Hoggart referred to him as `the thinking mans Dennis Skinner. His best-known work is How to Be an MP, the most-borrowed book in the House of Commons library.