LIFESTYLE - SUMMER 2017

IT’S LIKE HOGWARTS IN HERE! by Graham Jones, Member of Parliament for Hyndburn

many things. All offices have aTVwith a live Parliamentary channel (as well as the BBC one), and basic TVchannels. When a vote is called the parliament channel announces it and a division’s bell rings everywhere. MPs have eight minutes to make it to the Commons to vote. Aer eight minutes the two corridors either side of the Commons whereMPs must crowd are shut and locked. MPs are then counted out. You can see some doors at the back of the Commons that lead into these two corridors. An Aye corridor and a No corridor. Counting is done by the whips offices and their agreed result is the one which counts. The tea room is long in design with the kitchen in themiddle. It separates theTories and SNP sit at one end, Labour the other. It is a mixture of eating tables and sofa chairs with old paintings of political figures on the wall including Keir Hardie – the first ever Labour MP. Parliament transforms a night. It empties. Even the security is minimal. I have returned to Parliament at night to pick up something I had le and you can walk all the corridors never meeting a soul. You could shout and no-one will come. An eerie silence. The whole building to yourself. It really is creepy and very much Hogwarts. Anyone who hasn’t watched the fascinating four part BBC documentary in 2014 byMichael Cockerel should. It gives an insight into the daily intrigue as does the fascinating play 'This House' which delves into dark happenings of theWhips office in 1970’s. If you would likemore information about a tour of Parliament, email graham.jones.mp@parliament.uk

Under Big Ben and overlooking the hidden garden of St James Courtyard is a tunnel which runs under themain road to connect to the building opposite. A new building called Portcullis House. It has a multitude of offices, meeting rooms and a massive atriumwith coffee shop, restaurant, cafe, parliamentary papers office and is probably more popular than the Old Palace. We do have some furry friends too. In Portcullis House rats can run through the ducting systemand the Old Palace is overrun withmice. You frequently see them scurry across the floors. We should have a house cat! Life in Parliament is hectic. Very hectic. If you have a moment spare then it is guaranteed someone will almost certainly take it off you. MPs oen ‘hide' in their offices in order to get some work done. Parliament sits for eight hours during the standard day. The first hour will be for questions to a minister or the PrimeMinister onWednesday. Taking part in a debate is a six-hour process start to finish and does wipe out the day and any other activities. When you think that only about 40 speakers can get in it is easy to see why the remaining 610MPs either choose to stay in and listen or more likely deal with constituency maers or aend themany meetings that are going that day in themany rooms. There aremany quirks. For example there is a private police force not loyal to Her Majesty dating back fromOliver Cromwell's time when the monarchy used to threatenMPs with beheading or some ghastly fate. They are loyal to the commoners but only in the vicinity of the Commons where normal police are banned during siings of the House. My office is on the ground floor facing an inner courtyard but near the Commons. I have onemember of staff there (and three in Hyndburn) who help with the day. Mostly helping clear the 200 emails a day I amnow receiving as well as managingmy diary andmeeting requests amongst

There are some 450 researchers looking into any issue you care to ask about. The word of the House of Commons library is accepted as objectively informed and can never to be questioned. It is a great British institution that quietly holds governments to account. Central Lobby houses a Royal Mail post office, media, reception desk, ticket office for viewing galleries and this is whereMPs usually meet constituents. Geing to sit in the gallery is an experience but there are two beer experiences. MPs can get tickets along the sides much nearer to affairs. Then there is a secret bench actually in the Commons itself for members of the public. You have to ask special permission to sit in here (and dress appropriately) but you sit amongMPs and get an experience like no other. Not all MPs realise this! In themiddle of the building overlooking theThames is the Pugin roomwhich celebrates one of Britain’s finest wallpaper designers. It has a small alcove overlooking theThames where aernoon cream teas are served for MPs’ guests - space permiing. I take guests in. It is lovely but not cheap! There are thousands of meetings every day on what seems like amillion issues. NoMP could ever understand fully the building or the hive of activity going on. Behind the Commons are the offices of the government ministers including the PrimeMinister’s opulent cabinet room with its long table. This is next to Big Ben and overlooking a hidden garden (NewPalace Yard) that visitors see through the railings when looking at the tower. Surprisingly beneath this though you can’t tell but there is a five-story concrete car park. It is the car park where the IRA planted a bomb that killed Airey NeaveMP.

How would you like to visit one of London’s most iconic buildings? Hyndburn MP Graham Jones is happy to organise trips to the Houses of Parliament for any of his constituents, individuals or parties. The 75-minute tour will offer a unique combination of 1,000 years of history, modern day politics and stunning art and architecture. Here Graham reveals his inside view on the historic building he calls home, four days a week...

Parliament is like Hogwarts. Lis that don’t go to all floors, staircases that take you to places you weren’t expecting and unusual mezzanine floors that simply disappear . . . The oldmedieval Palace ofWestminster was largely destroyed by fire in 1834. The newPalace is aached to the remains of the original building which was built in 1097. It is a fabulous place and I frequently organise free visits for constituents and schools. Time permiing I’ll add on extras if I can. Themyriad of corridors, stairs, and lis make it a confusing place and even seven years on there aremany stairs and corridors I have not ventured into such is its complexity. Most MPs stick to the popular routes between floors and corridors but every now and again a colleague will whisper - “this way”. There are two parallel buildings. One by the river that runs the full length and is the one seen on photographs. It contains: • Four floors that run that full length • Two commiee corridors donating 21 ornate but darkmeeting rooms • Amiddle floor that only adds to the confusion by being called P for Principle floor and a Ground floor. The Principle floor contains what is probably the world's best andmost resourced library.

Last month aacker KhalidMasood, 52, killed four pedestrians and injured 50 others as hemowed downmembers of the public with a car on Westminster Bridge. He then crashed his hired Hyundai SUV into the railings in front of Parliament Yard before bursting through the gate to the Palace of Westminster with two large knives where he fatally stabbed unarmed PC Keith Palmer, 48. He was shot deadmoments later by a close protection officer aached to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. The aack sentWestminster into lockdown andMPs were forced to stay put in the House of Commons for more than four hours while the area was made safe. One of thoseMPs was Graham Jones who says: “Thankfully these aacks don’t happen very oen and the Palace itself is one of the safest places in London. DON’T LET TERROR DETER YOU...

The intruder was shot dead within 20 yards of pushing through the car park gates and the armed security response was overwhelming. There were some children in the gallery at the time and their safety was never compromised. I was in the voting lobby when two or three colleagues discussed what they thought had been a gunshot. And then a fewminutes later there was an instruction that MPs were to stay in the chamber while the doors were locked. We were told an intruder had gained entry through the carriage gates and that we were being held in the House of Commons until the situation had been resolved. It’s a very poor internet connection in the Chamber, but Twier is one of the few things that you can get, and there was online talk about an intruder and causalities. My personal thoughts were simply about the casualties at that stage. I didn’t particularly have any thoughts about myself, just the situation and those who had been affected by it. As I said though Parliament is probably the safest place in London, and no-one should be put off coming to visit.”

Top: Members Library. Above: • Corridor shelve books. • Room 14. Left: • Graham outside office • Graham’s office • View of Thames • Outside PMS office

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