Meet our new MPs: Dr Kieran Mullan, Crewe and Nantwich

Can you explain a bit about your back story and what you did before you were elected?

Before being elected I worked on programmes that compare how hospitals perform across the NHS to try and find the best performers and learn from them. I did this as well as still working on the front line in A&E. I have been doing things away from the front line for a long time but I also thought it was important to always carry on looking after patients. I saw in the policy work I did that it is too easy to lose sight of what is really going on when you stop seeing patients.

I think it was inevitable that I would end up doing a job like medicine. My Mum was a nurse and my Dad a policeman so you could say public service is in my blood! I grew up hearing about what they did and it taught me that it is making a difference that means you can go home of an evening holding your head high.

You returned to the NHS to continue your work as a doctor. As someone who has been on the front line through the pandemic, what’s your message to people?

Thank you! Thank you for staying home and thank you for your messages of support. Staff really noticed and cared. Staying home meant the NHS was not overwhelmed. I had always intended to try and fit in some occasional time on the front line once I had found my stride as an MP. But when I saw the images coming in from Italy of their health service totally overwhelmed, I knew I had to go back to help during this crisis. Luckily we never reached that situation here and we can thank your readers and the rest of the British public for that.

What made you pursue a career in politics and made you think you’d make a good MP?

Early on in medical school I found I was increasingly drawn to trying to understand the causes and not just the symptoms of what brings so many patients into contact with the NHS. Whether it be a mental health crisis, drink or drug addiction, loneliness. But not just from a traditional public health perspective. You can’t just put in place measures to tackle these things. You need to ask, why are these measures needed for some people and not others in the first place? I think it is because of family and societal factors and those two themselves interact enormously. I wanted to really get at these root causes.

What makes me think I’d make a good MP? Well I guess I am still waiting to find out if I am! My constituents will need to decide by the time of the next election. Though I would say the listening skills and experience of public service will help. I have also been a school governor and a volunteer policeman.

What causes and issues (local and national) are you most passionate about championing as an MP?

‍I am passionate about supporting families and strengthening communities. This is a pretty encompassing cause and it involves everything from criminal justice, to welfare, tax and public services. That is what makes it so challenging to get right.

What were some of your most memorable moments of the 2019 GE?

Someone out on a canvassing session with me being told by a union shop steward he was telling everyone to vote Conservative was pretty encouraging! I think we knew then we were on a strong footing. Though of course you always worry.

It was pretty good when we saw the voting ballots being piled up in the middle of the counting area. At very best I had hoped for a majority of a few thousand. When we began trying to count the final piles ahead of the announcement we were guessing how many ballots were in each pile based on the rough expected turnout. We just simply couldn’t believe that the only sensible figure was giving me a majority upward of 5,000. But it was the only thing that made sense. To get a majority of over 8,000 in the end was amazing.

It was also great to have Sajid Javid visit during the campaign. I took him to a family owned globally exporting ice cream van manufacturer based in Crewe. After a great walk around speaking to staff, yes, you’ve guessed it, we ended up in an ice cream van dishing out Mr Whippy!

How important were party members and volunteers to your victory?

The Party is nothing without our members. Our members going out campaigning and donating is the only way we win elections. Nothing can replace their support. Often a small number of vital supporters are what everything rests on. I know that was the case in my campaign. But even the smaller contributions of time or financial support add up. You, our members, earned this victory. I would encourage you to think about getting involved if you haven’t before. My campaign volunteers helped directly to deliver our result and so they shared directly in how I felt that night – proud, elated and tired!