Newly elected MP Helen Whately gave her maiden speech in the House of Commons on Tuesday. She made her first address during the Health and Social care debate on the Queen’s Speech.
With just 7 minutes time allowed, Helen gave fellow MPs a brisk tour of Faversham and Mid Kent, covering some of its rich history, beautiful landscapes and productive agriculture;
“My wonderful constituency, Faversham and Mid Kent, stretches from the edge of Maidstone across the North Downs to Faversham, a historic port with a rich mercantile and maritime heritage, and on across fruit farms, marsh and ancient woodlands to Boughton-under-Blean and Hernhill.
One of its treasures is Leeds Castle… well known as the most beautiful castle in England. If you head south from Leeds, you rise up Greensand Ridge to see a breath-taking view of the weald of Kent extending for miles into the distance, and then down in the weald itself you reach the lovely village of Headcorn, the southern tip of my constituency.
The area is renowned for agriculture—fruit farming as well as hop farming, which continues albeit on a much smaller scale than in the past. Britain’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame, thrives in the centre of Faversham.”
Helen succeeded Sir Hugh Robertson as MP for Faversham at Mid Kent at the general Election on 7 May. She thanked her predecessors for their support:
“I am fortunate two of the area’s past MPs, Sir Roger Moate and Sir Hugh Robertson, both live in the constituency and are great sources of wisdom, I have lost count of the number of people who have told me how hard it will be to live up to the standard set by Sir Hugh - and that is just in his role as constituency MP. On top of that, he has served as Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs and “Minister for the Olympics”
Helen also took the opportunity to raise some of the most pressing local concerns, such as workers on low wages, pressure on primary school places and concern over development. She pledged to work on the healthcare issues in the constituency, including the problems of local hospitals, overwhelming demand for GP services and the future of Faversham Cottage Hospital. She explained why working to ensure that all her constituents received excellent healthcare was important to her:
“I come from a family of doctors. I nearly followed in their footsteps, but time spent in hospitals as a teenager triggered a different ambition; instead I wanted to improve the National Health Service itself.”
Helen added that she was saddened that the NHS was still “being treated like a political football” before the recent election. She made suggestions for improving quality of patient care, including more focus on the outcomes of care, more transparency to MPs and patients will know how well their local NHS services are doing and more attention on the important role played by healthcare assistants. Addressing MPs from all parties, Helen expressed her hope that although “the NHS will face difficult decisions. I hope that when we are faced with taking a position, all of us will avoid the temptation of political opportunism and always be sure to pick the side of the patient.” These comments were reiterated by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison MP, during the wind-up of the debate at the end of the day.
In her final remarks she reflected upon looking at Faversham’s own rare Magna Carta from 1300:
“Looking at Faversham’s Magna Carta on Friday was, for me, a profound reminder of the history of the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. I also read several updated charters produced by local school children, which brought the concept of rights bang into the 21st century. They reminded me that is my duty not just to serve my current constituents, but also to do my utmost to make sure Faversham and Mid Kent is a wonderful place to live for generations to come. “
Speaking after the debate, Helen shared her thoughts with us on what it was like to deliver her very first speech to Parliament:
“It was an incredible moment to give a Maiden Speech and a unique opportunity to tell other MP’s about the wonderful place that Faversham and Mid Kent really is.
The speech gave me a chance to be an advocate for all that is great about the area but also to raise awareness of the issues that I’m campaigning on. I took the opportunity to speak about my NHS background and some of the things that I think should be government priorities for the NHS.”
To read the full text of Helen's Maiden Speech in the House of Commons Hansard online, click here.