Tom Gordon
MP for Harrogate and KnaresboroughIn an article for Chamber UK, Tom Gordon MP reflects on his journey from campaigning in Harrogate and Knaresborough to joining Parliament, focusing on key issues like climate action and sustainable transport. He highlights the urgent need for investment in the North’s infrastructure and expresses hope in the new Parliament’s potential.
A Marathon at Sprint Pace
Elections are a marathon run at a sprint pace. For almost two years, I have been working hard in and around Harrogate and Knaresborough, championing the issues that matter most to the people here. Despite all the preparation, nothing can truly prepare you for that moment when your name is read out, and your life changes in an instant.
Throughout the campaign, I made it my mission to connect with as many people as possible. Whether it was playing badminton locally, taking part in regular pub quizzes, being spotted at Parkrun, or knocking on doors five nights a week, I wanted to ensure that I was accessible and in touch with the community. By the time election day arrived, I hoped I had become a familiar face to many of those I sought to represent.
Finding My Feet
But winning the election is just the beginning. The finish line that once seemed so close suddenly extends far into the distance. Immediately after the results were announced, I was swept away to London, navigating the bustling corridors of Parliament, often operating out of committee room corridors and hot-desking until more permanent office arrangements could be made.
I’m blessed enough to now have a small-but-cosy office in the lovely Derby Gate. To even have the smallest glimpse of the Elizabeth Tower out the office window truly puts everything back into perspective.
Defining the Parliament
One of the issues that will define this Parliament is the environment – on multiple fronts. I campaigned hard alongside the Lib Dems on stopping the sewage dumping scandal, a national issue with hyper-severe local implications. The existential threat of climate change will, however, have even wider implications, not just here in Harrogate or the UK, but across the world. This Parliament will have to be defined by an unwavering commitment to lowering carbon emissions.
To me, this has to be an interdepartmental approach, with each and every area of government looking to do everything they can to combat climate change. Constituents consistently raise climate change as a grave issue of concern, but especially through the lens of transport and its inadequacy in the north of England.
Getting the North Moving Sustainably
It’s no secret to anyone who has had the misfortune of trying to use public transport in the North that it is simply not fit for purpose. In my constituency, there is a next-to-nothing provision of buses from smaller villages around Knaresborough into the town itself.
More broadly, our network here is disjointed and difficult to use – we can’t in good faith tell people they ought to be taking the train to get between cities in the North when frankly, it feels punishing to do so (and that’s at the best of times). To me, the only viable solution to fixing such a broken system is heavy investment into our regions. My heart genuinely sank when I read in the Financial Times that the upgrades to the Transpennine Line are under review ahead of the new Government’s first Budget.
If the Government’s strategy is to cut infrastructure upgrades as basic as electrification, what faith should we have that they’ll make the larger scale, sorely needed investments, like Northern Powerhouse Rail. At my Party Conference, I sat alongside colleagues representing northern communities on a panel held by Transport for the North, where we discussed the situation that chronic underinvestment in our transport system finds us in. I’m going to be banging the drum for our regions and our transport network in Parliament until we start to see real investment here and I can hand on heart say that travelling sustainably is convenient, attractive, and a viable alternative to the car.
Final Thought
With more new members than ever, there are more people in my boat trying to find their feet, while working as hard as they possibly can for their constituents. It’s the instinct to serve and to deliver for residents that drives me every day, as it does so many of my colleagues. Although the country faces so many problems – the climate crisis is just scratching the surface! – I get a unique sense of hope and optimism from the new Parliament.
This article appears in the new edition of the Chamber UK Journal, click below to sign up to our newsletter to read the full edition online!
