Having inquired as to the opportunity of working alongside Huw from work experience, last week I was fortunate enough to shadow Huw during a particularly exciting week in Parliament. The week involved four days from Monday to Thursday working in and experiencing the daily aspects of a job in the parliament. Working alongside Huw and his two wonderful aides, Jess and Memuna, I was able to help Huw with research and individual casework, as well as routinely shadowing Huw to his various meetings and being allowed to select All Party Parliamentary Groups which I could attend myself. Having a keen interest in the environment, and a goal of working for the UN, the APPG on China and the belt and road initiative was a particular highlight of the week. Additionally, I was given a guided tour of the houses of both Lords and Commons and was able to witness the media aspect of a role in parliament, watching Huw give an impassioned account of the abuse members of parliament experiences, particularly in these tense times of Brexit negotiations.

Friday involved travelling with Huw, and his Parliamentary and Constituency Manager Frances to two retirement homes within the constituency. This was as a response to the recent question Huw posed in PMQs about the leaseholder issues that some residents from these homes were struggling with. A difficult situation, involving a tough crowd, gave fascinating insight into MPs work in their own constituency, whilst also showcasing the real people behind the issues I had been hearing about in the chamber earlier in the week. Finally, I was able to sit in on a meeting between Huw and member of organisations with interests in rising homelessness in the Bexhill area. This was a fascinating opportunity to witness the cool negotiation and mediatory role that MPs must play in reaching conclusions between many parties in the hopes of finding the best possible solutions to pressing issues.

I can assuredly say that my experiences over the course of the past week have exceeded all expectation I had to what it meant to work in Parliament. I would implore others to follow in my footsteps and contact Huw’s office’s about arranging work experiences of their own. Working alongside Huw, I have been able to explore the beautiful, historic houses of commons, experience the day-to-day affairs of our parliamentary representatives and feel as though I was truly in the thick of the country’s most important issues.

Thomas Winchester