BY TRISTAN AND JAKE

Helen Hayes gives us the inside scoop on life in parliament…

Tristan from the Mog Chronicle journalism club introduced himself to Helen Hayes MP and said: “We are here because we would like to interview you about all the amazing posters which these incredible children have made.” Stella, Jessie and Jake from Mog Chronicle were also there and asked the following questions:

Do you have any plans to improve Herne Hill apart from the signs?

As your MP I don’t have the direct ability to do things in the street. I can represent you and make sure that your voices are heard. I’m working with your councillors, your council has got some money, and they are trying to make improvements on the roads here. 

And then we need some more money. So we also need also to be campaigning for the government to give our councillors even more money for this work – and that’s the work I’m trying to do with your councillors as well.

What do you think about the posters?

The posters are absolutely brilliant. They show how creative the students of JKPS are and they also show how strongly you feel about this issue of road safety outside your school. And they do a really brilliant job of communicating that to everybody who is walking past.

Do you like being an MP?

Yes, I love being an MP

What’s it like being an MP?

As you can tell, every single day is different. It’s not every day that I get to stand out in the rain talking to the brilliant children of JKPS but I love doing that. And I love going to the House of Commons and being able to speak on your behalf as well.

What’s it like being in the House of Commons? 

It’s a bit noisy sometimes and it can get a little bit rowdy but it’s also quite amazing because what I get to do is to speak on your behalf. I take all the things that are important to everybody in this area up to the House of Commons where I can tell the government all about it. So it’s quite exciting as well.

Is your timetable very similar or different?

It’s different each week really.

What is your most common timetable?

My most common timetable is that I would be in Westminster Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. In the constituency usually some of Thursday and definitely on Fridays. Although today I have to go up to Westminster because there is an important vote in the middle of the day which is very unusual on Friday. 

Why is there a vote?

Sometimes there is a way in which backbench MPs who aren’t part of the government can introduce a new law and when that happens it can happen on a Friday and then we get to vote on it on a Friday which is a bit unusual.

What is the vote about? 

The vote is about something called conversion therapy. Which is about banning a practice that is very very unsafe for people who are LGBTQ. So it’s an important vote today.

Is it worth it being an MP?

I think so, I can’t imagine a better job.

If you could change one thing about the local area what would you change?

That is a really good question and quite a hard question.

I think, at the moment, if I could change one thing, it would be that our council had a bit more money to spend on all of the things that are important in our local area. 

That includes services for children, it includes continuing to make our streets safer. There are lots of things that at the moment we are feeling a bit of pressure about and it’s harder to do properly. 

After this Helen Hayes was visibly impressed with the Mog Chronicle team’s journalism skills and told them:

Brilliant interview. Really tough questions – which is the best kind of interview.