How to Be an MP

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Description

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 benches and influence proceedings in the House. And in the process it provides the outsider with a riveting insight into life as a Member.

Reviews

"Marvellous ... Really frightfully good." John Crace, The Guardian

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 man's Dennis Skinner.