Diary of an MP – The Industry and Parliament Trust Fellowship

The IPT is an independent charity, founded in the 1970s, that promotes the mutual understanding of Parliament and business. I think this is critical to ensuring MPs and Peers don’t lose sight of the impact the decisions we make have on employers across the UK.

It provides Fellowships for Members of Parliament, through which we have the opportunity to meet with a diverse range of businesses and study and engage in business matters through private dialogue, visits and events. My Fellowship was completed in UK Infrastructure.

I chose to complete my studies in UK Infrastructure to build on the near 20 years of experience in industry I completed prior to being elected. Having started my working life in civil engineering, and moving through procurement, project management and into senior leadership roles in the construction sector, the Fellowship gave me an opportunity to keep connected with industry. Made particularly critical through the introduction of the Employment Rights Bill and early budget decisions by the Chancellor.

My Fellowship has seen me leading several events in Westminster, covering topics like employment rights, the clean energy transition, delivering rail and road infrastructure and transforming the water sector. Through these I’ve been able to meet experts from across the UK to hear their views on Government policy, making sure what we do in Westminster will benefit people across our country, including in Northampton.

The Fellowship also gave me the opportunity to visit businesses across the UK, including the Port of Southampton with Associated British Ports, East Midlands Airport, Curzon Street Station with HS2, Cisco, British Offsite (one of the UK’s leading housebuilders), the Vistry Innovation Centre in Coalville, and Great Billing Water Recycling Centre, right here in Northampton, with Anglian Water. Each visit allowed me to see firsthand the amazing engineering feats being achieved in our country and the opportunity to meet apprentices, expert specialists and leaders in those businesses.

What I’ve taken from the Fellowship is simple but important. Good policy depends on understanding how decisions land in the real world, on sites, in control rooms, in workshops and offices, not just in Whitehall. Staying connected to industry helps me do my job better as an MP, whether that’s scrutinising legislation, shaping infrastructure policy, or making the case for investment and skills in Northampton.

Completing my Fellowship doesn’t mean I will now stop engaging with business. In fact, the pleasure I’ve got from the programme has driven me to keep talking and keep learning, both with organisations in our amazing town and wider afield.

If you’re a business owner or leader, or want to recommend an organisation I should meet, I would love your suggestions. Send me ideas to [email protected] and we’ll pick up from there!