Meet our new MPs: Paul Howell, Sedgefield

What made you originally support the Conservative Party? Have you always been a Conservative?

Growing up in the 70s, despite the obvious value of trade unions I never understood why they thought they should run the country nor why the Labour government seemed to want to let them. This meant I therefore always leant towards being Conservative. I was not politically active in my younger years when I made my career as an accountant in industry but since around 2010 I became more engaged and active, particularly in local politics.

Have you always wanted to be an MP or is political campaigning a new passion?

Once involved in politics, I felt that living in the North East and with councils that had been Labour-led for such a long time it frustrated me that being in permanent opposition meant your ability to influence change was very restricted. I determined that there was more opportunity to make a difference as the MP and indeed more chance of being elected as a Conservative MP than there was of being in a Conservative-led council so I worked to that objective.

What did Labour get wrong in Sedgefield that you would like to get right?

“Labour stopped listening”

In the Blair years we had a Labour Cabinet dominated by North East MPs but the word I get on the doors is: what did they ever do for us? My conclusion is that they thought the local vote was permanent and they didn’t need to nurture it. My approach therefore is to listen to the people of Sedgefield and do my utmost to improve things for them, recognise that their vote is lent to me and give them every reason to lend it again.

I am particularly focused on both the levelling up agenda through the “Left behind communities” APPG and local transport infrastructure, specifically the reinstatement of Ferryhill railway station as I believe these are where a real difference can be made.

How did you feel stepping into the Commons for the first time after the election?

It was a surreal experience, a strange combination of a sense of history and a gift of the opportunity to be there “in the room where it happens” and make a difference.

How important were party members and volunteers to your victory?

The party only selected me as the Sedgefield candidate after the election was called, meaning we had limited time to campaign and whilst not the largest, Sedgefield still has a significant geographic footprint. Being surrounded by seats like Darlington and Bishop Auckland which were high targets it meant party resources were limited. I had a small but critical team of local volunteers and local councillors without whom it would have been close to impossible. The foot leather of the volunteers and the contacts of the councillors made all the difference to the delivery we achieved.