Interview with MP Mark Fletcher

For many general election of 2019 was the most important election of their lives. Landslide win of Conservatives changed not only the UK but the whole of Europe. On a much smaller scale- this election changed the political landscape in less “media-worthy” regions of the country- among them our own Bolsover. Today I’d like to invite you to read an interview with new and improved Beast of Bolsover- Mark Fletcher, Member of Parliament for Bolsover District representing Conservative Party.

Question: Your victory in the General election was a surprise to many. Was it for you?

MP Mark Fletcher: Well the Conservative Party had never won in Bolsover, so on that basis, yes. And Dennis Skinner was such a massive figure in British politics. But if you look at what had happened in North East Derbyshire and Mansfield in 2017, you could see the area was shifting towards the Conservatives. And the more time I spent talking to people in the constituency, the more confident I became that we could win. People wanted something different; they wanted a positive approach for the area.

Q: Last words of your maiden speech in Parliament was about Conservatives Party goal to give working-class kids the best possible start in life. Do you agree with claims that recently Conservatives become more working-class party than Labour Party? ( You can watch full speech here: https://www.facebook.com/MarkFletcherMP/videos/1779204635543727/ )

MP Mark Fletcher: Yeah absolutely. I think the Labour Party has moved away from working-class communities in northern towns, and they’re now a lot more interested in metropolitan areas and students. You could see it with Brexit, with immigration, with so many issues. And in the Conservative Party, there’s a whole new generation of MPs who grew up in working-class towns where nothing has changed. They don’t want to hear the same excuses or argue about the past, they want to crack on and do things.

Q: Can you describe Your opinion about Labour Party “period of reflection” after last election defeat?

MP Mark Fletcher: Well anyone who spent any time knocking on doors during the election can tell you that it was Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn, crazy economic policies and a drift away from the communities they were established to represent that were the problems.

Q: In your opinion: will the Labour Party manage to go back to its roots under the leadership of Sir Kier Starmer or will it eventually cut itself off from them to become a party of liberal, globalist, pro-European elites from big cities? In other words: where do you see the Labour Party in 5 years?

MP Mark Fletcher: Still in opposition!

Q: From last election campaign we know that you are a supporter of Brexit. But which Brexit you prefer? “WTO Brexit” or “trade deal Brexit” and why?

MP Mark Fletcher: I’m not sure it is that simple to be honest. Signing up to a bad trade deal, where we have little control over the standards we set, is a bad outcome. At the moment, that is all the EU are offering. But if they take our approach, allow for greater flexibility whilst allowing market access for each other without prohibitive tariffs, that is the best outcome. But I don’t think the Prime Minister will accept a poor trade deal, and he’s right not to do so.

Q: Sir Kier Starmer was designer of Brexit policy of Labour Party before last General Election. Recently he did U-turn and now he claims that Labour Party need to forget about Leaver/Remainer division but there is growing sentiment to so-called “Rejoiner” wing in Labour. Do you think that the Labour Party is able to finally move on from Brexit and focus on real issues?

MP Mark Fletcher: I doubt it. I think Brexit came to symbolise something much greater than our membership of the European Union for a lot of Labour activists. They seemed to think it was some sort of assault of their world view and values. As you say, Keir was pulling the strings constantly to try and manufacture an outcome where we stay in the EU by the back door, and I’m not sure people will forget that.

Q: Let’s move away from Brexit toward more local issues. There was some time between election day and lockdown so I assume you had the opportunity to meet with local political and business leaders in our District. Can you tell us who you met with and what did you talked about?

MP Mark Fletcher: Yeah I was in the process of meeting with a lot of the local representatives like the District Councillors, the County Councillors and lots of the other regional bodies. With most of them it was about my vision for the Bolsover constituency, about how we bring better jobs and better infrastructure to our region. I have to say that the vast majority of the people I met, whatever their political beliefs, were incredibly supportive of that approach.

Q: Do you know what will be your priority in work as an MP for Bolsover after lockdown?

MP Mark Fletcher: Getting the local economy going and levelling up the region. Skilled jobs, better transport connections, better educational opportunities.

Q: Do you see big differences between the needs of Shirebrook and needs of other big population centres in District like South Normanton and Clowne?

MP Mark Fletcher: I think there’s a couple of big differences actually. Most of my constituency is very well connected to the M1 which is great for commuting and jobs, but the roads in and out of Shirebrook aren’t great. We need to get that fixed. It has been spoken about for years, but the plans are all well out-of-date. I think the other thing wit Shirebrook is that enormous pride the people who live there have; they are desperate for it to recapture its former glory, and we really need to get the private sector going in Shirebrook so that it can be at the heart of industry again.

Q: As a fairly new resident of the area you have a fresh look at Bolsover District. Can you name three things that surprised you positively and three things that surprised you negatively about this place?

MP Mark Fletcher: Haha I think the first rule of politics is probably not to highlight any negative things about your constituency. I am very lucky to represent a beautiful constituency, where the people tell you how it is. It has enormous potential, but it really needs someone who can link up Government, the private sector, the local councils and the people to make things happen.

Q: I know you’ve been in office for a very short time but can you tell us one thing that you’ve done that you are proud of?

MP Mark Fletcher: I was very proud of my contribution to the House of Commons debate on Domestic Abuse. I didn’t know what I was going to say when I stood up, all the notes I had were for a different speech entirely, and I spoke about something that I’ve barely talked to anybody about for twenty-five years. The response I got, with people from all over the country emailing and messaging me to tell them what it meant to them, was just surreal.

Thank you for the interview and good luck in Parliament!

(Due to the Coronavirus restrictions interview was conducted electronically-editor.)

Sylwester Zwierzynski info@shirebrook247.com