Personal ambition often seems to be the driving force behind the careers of many politicians. Hexham MP, Joe Morris, with a majority of just over three and a half thousand, says his ambition is simple: to get re-elected to continue representing his home town.
Right now, while many MPs are stretched out on their sun-loungers, he’s in the middle of an arduous month-long summer tour across England’s largest geographical constituency.
In the village of Slaley, in south Northumberland, a dozen or so locals turn up to ask questions, seek reassurances, or campaign for change. Morris visits roughly four locations a day; over the tour he’ll touch base with several hundred voters.
“Being a good constituency MP isn’t just an aspiration,” he says. “It’s fulfilling the promise I made to thousands of constituents at election time, that I’d be visible, active and listening.
“This constituency was taken for granted by previous politicians more focused on their ministerial careers and our communities suffered.”
That’s why the man who helped start the ball rolling against Keir Starmer’s premiership, by resigning as Wes Streeting’s PPS – Parliamentary Permanent Secretary – doesn’t now want to return to a similar, or higher, position.
It’s a re-calculation which responds to the new optimism in the Labour Party under Andy Burnham, and fully recognises the daunting prospect of fighting to retain a seat which was previously Conservative controlled for one hundred years.
New optimism under Andy Burnham
“I think under Andy Burnham there’s a new optimism. There’s a new focus on what matters to people at a local level. And the communications are a lot simpler.
“The old maxim that if you’re explaining you’re losing has been turned on its head in the past few weeks. People want to see accountability from their leaders. It means we need to be explaining more, and that is what I’m trying to do at a local level.”
Amongst those who came to listen to Joe Morris’s views was a man once used to the adulation of thousands himself. Keith Dyson, now seventy-six, played for Newcastle United in the victorious Inter-Cities Fairs Cup run in 1969, although not in the final. Why was he here today?
“I just wanted to get his perspective on a number of matters, both nationally and locally”, he says, rather coyly.
Local resident Gill was there because she is passionate about the climate crisis. “I wanted to invite him to come and see “The People’s Emergency Briefing,” which is a film about our climate and nature crisis. It’s being shown at Hexham Forum cinema on Thursday August 20th.”
Ted was campaigning for more old railway lines to be opened up as countryside walks. While David, terribly injured in an accident on the A1 which has left him in a wheelchair, wanted to lobby for new safety measures at junctions leading onto the road.
I’ve no regrets
After listening to these and more issues from his constituents Morris was in a reflective mood. Did he have any regrets about the past few weeks, his resignation as a PPS, and his strong criticisms of Keir Starmer?
“I’ve no regrets at all. I think the Labour Party was in need of saving and it was necessary for myself and some of my colleagues to do what we did; to resign and call for change.
“I think we needed a new Prime Minister. We now need to realise that we must fight to deserve a second look from everyone. We need to ensure that the miss-stepsfrom the last two years are forgotten about and we move forward into a new positive era.”
Details of the rest of Joe Morris’s summer tour can be found on his Facebook site.
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