MP’s Report to Village Magazines, August 2024

Thank you for electing me as your Member of Parliament – it is an amazing honour to represent the constituency of Ely and East Cambridgeshire. I look forward to working with you and to representing our beautiful area at Westminster.

As I write this, I have been your MP for one week, and it’s been busy! My first meeting was on Friday afternoon, about 10 hours after my election was announced. After a busy weekend, I packed my bags and headed to London on Sunday evening.

Monday morning, I headed to my first in-person meeting and in the afternoon I entered Parliament and was given my pass and met my ‘buddy’. Each new MP (there are about 330 of us) has a member of staff assigned to us who showed us round and has been on-hand since to answer questions.

My buddy showed me the Members’ cloakroom, where we really do have a pink ribbon with which to hang our swords, as well as a coat hanger for more prosaic attire! We then went to get my IT equipment and have various briefings on finances, security, standards etc. She showed me around parliament, but I still get lost all the time and am grateful to the staff who set me back in the right direction. Even the floor levels are confusing – Parliament has a ground floor, a principal floor and then first and second floors.

Tuesday was largely training sessions, with some time to use the hot desking to start reading and answering emails. We were told it will be a month or two yet before we get an office, meanwhile we have a locker and hot desk space.

On Wednesday, we had our first session in the Chamber – to elect the Speaker. A great deal of pomp and ceremony, but also a chance for all the Party leaders to make short speeches to congratulate the Speaker. Then they started swearing in the MPs, starting with the cabinet moving through long-standing MPs until eventually reaching the new MPs. I took my oath on Thursday afternoon. That was when it finally sunk in as I introduced myself as Charlotte Cane representing Ely and East Cambridgeshire and felt the weight of responsibility. I will do my best to represent you all.

Parliament didn’t sit on Friday, so I made my way home to Reach. I recorded a television discussion and then had a zoom meeting about Sunnica Solar Farm, only to find out about an hour later that planning permission had been given by the Secretary of State.

On Saturday I was able to get to the Ely Farmers’ Market, for my bread, cheese, samosas, cherries and strawberries. Then I went to the World Pea shooting Championships in Witcham. I am certainly not competition standard, but I did at least manage to hit the practice target a few times.

Over the next few weeks I need to learn my way around and recruit a team of staff so that I can properly respond to all your queries and concerns. But I do, at least have an email address so you can contact me – charlotte.cane.mp@parliament.uk