INTERVIEW
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REPRESENTATION MATTERS . IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE ROOM , THEN THE ISSUES WE FACE WILL GET HEARD . IT ’ S ABOUT BEING THAT VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS .
There have been a lot of changes put in place as a result of me being here but we ’ re not fully there yet .
My office is in the Palace of Westminster and it is an incredible place to call your place of work , it ’ s quite amazing here , and it ’ s an honour to work here . But of course it ’ s a very old place and the parliamentary estate isn ’ t fully accessible and inclusive , and I can ’ t wait for the day when it will be and nobody will have any challenge in entering it . In many respects , it just needs to be renewed .
The first fully blind MP was David Blunkett ( MP for Sheffield , Brightside and Hillsborough from 1987 to 2015 ), he uses a guide dog and is now in the House of Lords . He is an inspiration to me and many people .
Hopefully those that are coming behind me won ’ t also have to encounter the same difficulties I have , and that David Blunkett must have .
LL How has your Christian faith impacted on your work ?
MC I believe my faith gives me the strength and the courage and the wisdom to execute this role to the best of my abilities . It ’ s vitally important to me to know that I ’ m not doing it all alone in my own strength . There are issues that you sometimes really grapple with … but you know , for me , it ’ s just really about seeking good counsel and prayer about many of the issues .
You may have heard of the National Parliamentary Prayer breakfast ? In 2020 , I was chair for the event , we did it virtually and it worked out really well . And last year , 2021 , it was virtual again , but we met in churches so I went to my own church ( Holy Trinity , Clapham ) and it was great to join in from there and to do an interview with my vicar which was beamed across the country , that was also an amazing event .
People say historically that you shouldn ’ t mix faith and politics but that ’ s just not true . Faith helps to drive my policies and politics and hopefully , I should say , will help me to make better decisions .
I always think about following Proverbs 31:8 , where we are called to talk about speaking up for the poor , speaking up for those that are destitute and being that voice for the voiceless . I think when it comes to politicians , that ’ s what we are doing , isn ’ t it ? We are being that voice to those who don ’ t have a voice ; we are representing those people in this Parliament ; we are raising the issues that matter to them .
LL That ’ s very powerful to reflect
on . What are your hopes as you look ahead this year ?
MC My hope is to be a good advocate for my constituents , to be that good representative for them , and if possible , to get things done for them . I want to make sure that Battersea gets all of the resources and investments that it absolutely desires and requires .
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