A journalist has asked questions about my service levels as an MP, so I am sharing the answers in case others are interested.
Service to journalists
I provide a daily commentary on the main issues I am dealing with and matter to my constituents on www.johnredwood.com. I provide a regular update on local Council matters under local issues. These articles can be reproduced, or used as a source of quotes. They cover the most topical matters that are in the news, they offer new news stories not in the national press, and can of course be commented on. I am providing thousands of words a week which I write myself to ensure they are my views. I find it surprising that others, for example, have not taken up the blogs revealing the large losses the Bank of England has already made, the colossal planned losses and how these could be slashed.
Where I raise these matters in Parliament I often also reproduce the Hansard text of my speech or question. You can assume that where I am raising a big issue on the blog I am talking to Ministers about it, as I do regularly. I do not normally report on individual meetings with Ministers as these are usually best left as private meetings.
Service to my constituents as Wokingham’s MP
I am the only MP to provide a daily commentary on my views and actions 364 days a year on my website. I do not just write up the issue but am also taking action to get the view across and to seek improved government response and policy.
With the help of my two office staff we seek to answer every incoming email and query by the next working day. My staff handle most of the emails and cases Monday to Friday. I read them and discuss with them ones that pose new issues or problems. We have daily contact with each other on queries and progress. I answer new queries on Saturdays and Sundays myself where appropriate, reading all incoming.
I do not undertake international travel and attend Parliament when in session, being on call seven days a week all year round. I live in the Borough, and make weekly visits to places in the constituency to keep in touch with local problems and views.
Knowledge of the parts of the Borough I do not currently represent
I did represent the northern villages of Wokingham Borough prior to the creation of the separate Maidenhead constituency, so I know Wargrave, Remenham, Hurst, Twyford, and Charvil well as a former MP. I used to live in Sonning, and used to go shopping in Twyford as well as in Wokingham and Woodley. I attend the rowing at Remenham for the Henley regatta each year. I live in the south of the Borough.
Taking up issues for constituents
The website shows the wide range of matters I do take up. The crucial ones of public services, jobs and taxes which dominate the website arise from emails, conversations and understandings of my constituents concerns. Sometimes I lead the campaigns, as with the campaign for small business to get an increase in the VAT threshold, the campaign to slash the unacceptable losses by the Bank or England to free more money for the NHS and other purposes, and the campaign to reduce taxation for the self employed. Sometimes I support campaigns led by other MPs. I supported James Arbuthnot for many years over the sub postmasters. I have supported the successful MP campaign to get the government to abandon top down targets to build more homes, leaving more to local decision.
April 15, 2024
I think you do an amazing job for our constituency Sir John.
April 16, 2024
Indeed it is amazing he finds time for all he does. Had governments and more PMs and Ministers followed his sound advice over the past 30+ years we would be £ trillions better off and far better run. This in so many areas. Especially economic policy, Major’s ERM fiasco, energy policy, healthcare, transport policy, education policy, defence policy, incentives to work, benefit policy, the botched devolution disasters, no change no chance with Major, the poll tax, the EU, monetary policy, criminal justice, the counterproductive wars, the climate change Act lunacy, tax levels, immigration policy, OTT regulation everywhere, employment laws…
He does remarkably, well especially from starting off as history graduate. One of the best of the circa 80 at best sensible Conservative MPs.
Alas the current and past fake Tories have largely done the complete reverse and Starmer will surely do this even more on employments laws, OTT regulation, excessive taxation, EU alignment, the net zero insanity, killing freedom and choice in education, healthcare, home heating, transport…
April 15, 2024
Can’t disagree with any of that – I wish JR was my MP.
April 16, 2024
Can he Peter Lilley and Norman Tebbit types perhaps be cloned so as to put sensible MPs in all the constituencies?
April 15, 2024
I think you have given a very comprehensive account of what you do as a constituency MP. I look forward to the time you start to represent Charvil. We are losing Mrs May who has been an excellent MP and I personally am relieved that we will have another MP who represents constituents so well.
April 16, 2024
Alas a disastrous PM with he dire attempts to subvert Brexit and he moronic net zero lunacy. Still I agree with her opt out organ donation perhaps her only positive action.
April 15, 2024
Sir John,
There is generally a very negative view of many MPs by the electorate however, I feel we are blessed to have you as our MP here in Wokingham.
There is a great deal of ill will towards the Conservative government and much of that is directed at our PM.
Locally, the LibDems are running a rather nasty and, in my opinion, a personal campaign against Sir John.
I hope that you remain our MP after the next GE as I feel you do a good job.
I suspect it will be a closer result this time but I believe that would be more a reflection on the national Party and government, rather than on Sir John’s efforts.
April 16, 2024
Agreed – Libdems the new NASTY party.
April 16, 2024
Cliff
Agreed with you, somehow JR needs to get more Wokingham people to engage with this website, and in particular with the younger generation of adults/families, who seem to be blinded by the LibDem campaign of the never ending avalanche of propaganda type leaflets, trying to deflect blame and failure on everyone else but themselves.
April 17, 2024
Berkshire Alan,
I agree, but convincing younger people will be more difficult, because they would have gone through the so called education system, which has become little more than a left leaning indoctrination system.
The other problem of course, is something I’ve raised with Sir John in the past, and that is how can one vote for a local candidate without, in effect, endorsing the party leader or national parliamentary Party?
April 17, 2024
Cliff
Can only hold your nose and vote for the person (who you think will represent you best), not the Party.
Unfortunately with the system we have, the leader thinks you are supporting the Party !
April 15, 2024
Please get this and the like into the public domain, E.g. local newspaper and radio. So many older people don’t have the internet so they are not aware of just how much you do for your constituents. Weekly we get leaflets from the opposition Clive Jones telling us how little you do and what he is going to do when he is our next MP, god forbid. The Liberals are not backwards in coming forwards and are always blowing their own trumpet and taking credit for things they didn’t even support when in opposition and denying any failure. This next election is so important and unless we want Wokingham to end up like so many other councils (and the very reason people have moved here) to change forever we must all up our game.
Reply This has been sent to local press
April 15, 2024
Tell him to piss off mate. That’s what the voter wants these days, a politician who speaks the language of the working man
April 15, 2024
I can see what you do, useful and worthwhile as it is, but I ask afresh, what do the other 649 do that is of the same quality? (As recently revealed, my own M.P. considers the Bank of England beyond scrutiny!)
Otherwise, we attentive diary readers live with the knowledge your constituents come first (fair enough) but surely we do rank far ahead of mere journos?
April 15, 2024
and was the journalist suitably gobsmacked at the dedication? If not I’d like to know who matches your level of activity, certainly NOT the candidate the weak LibDems offer to replace what they term ‘the part-time MP for Wokingham’.!
Keep up the good work, we don’t always agree, but integrity, honesty and diligance cannot be bettered.
April 15, 2024
For which I for one, am very appreciative Sir J.
April 15, 2024
Is that journalist asking questions about any other MPs? Whether one agrees with your views or not, surely nobody could accuse you of only ‘being in it for yourself’. As one measure of ‘work’, I assume the journalist could access parliamentary records and produce a league table of attendance.
April 15, 2024
Not a BBC journo by any chance?
April 15, 2024
Sir John
Most people would applaud you for wishing to serve, and managing to serve your Constituents then serve them as a Conservative. For me you have done that in spades.
Wokingham is a micro version of the UK, traditional self-reliant centre ground people with a Conservative outlook that want to get on and give back. Then there is the but, there is no Conservative Party, just as there is no Conservative Government, they have all gone AWOL. Just as with Wokingham Council the body of the administration has been high-jacked by those that are out to satisfy their own egos, run up costs exponentially and fail to deliver the framework that would allow everyone’s full potential to be realized. They seem to be looking for personal self-gratification – not serving.
Anyone looking for the centre ground has been disenfranchised, all we are offered is left-wing Socialist Culture, high uncontrolled expenditure that panders to a personal ‘ego’ but no management and no delivery.
Take Wokingham it once was one of the most cost effective, best delivering Councils in the UK. The left now have control and we are faced with high costs and poor delivery and service. A mirror image of the what this Conservative Government have brought the nation. I would guess Wokingham lurched left due to the explosion of incomers that are takers not givers – the entitled.
Sir John, you get my vote but all the signs are that those, some call a Conservative Government have hung you and other real Conservative MP’s out to dry to be sacrificed on their Socialist Dogma, their failure to manage with their Socialist uncontrolled expenditure requiring high taxes to stay afloat. They have maliciously destroyed the very meaning of service and the Conservative Party.
April 15, 2024
In fact, if the truth be told, you are an outstanding MP John, who always performs over and above expectation.
I, for one, appreciates the effort you put in, and the clarity of your incisive explanations of current affairs, but believe you are now banging your head against the wall of upstarts who lack the experience of steering a successful business in a challenging world.
Sadly there is no longer a Party that represents our thinking.
April 18, 2024
As a constituent of Sir John’s I agree completely.
With the boundary changes we will be losing Sir John as our MP at the next election and I can only hope they follow his excellent dedication and direction.
April 15, 2024
Sir John I can confirm that you always respond to letters and emails in a timely manner and have been extremely helpful to me for which I am most grateful
April 16, 2024
Enigma
Agree, always had a rapid and sensible response when contact is made, puts many local Councillors and Government Departments to shame.
April 15, 2024
Many thanks.
Your service to Wokingham is much appreciated,
April 15, 2024
Bravo Sir John, if only our MP was as diligent and conscientious as you we would be so much better informed. I think it’s very disappointing to read you are the only MP providing this amazing level of information to their constituents.
April 15, 2024
Off Topic.
Ms Pearson:
For various reasons, I have come to believe that our 56th prime minister was hard done by and that some of the “conspiracy theories” which she is accused of peddling may be far nearer the truth than most people realise. Unfairly or not, “Liz Truss crashed the economy” has taken root in the public imagination. It is a cruel fate for a fiercely bright, driven woman who was in a tearing hurry to stimulate growth in order to spare us higher taxes and ever more debt. As she left Number 10, Truss said to a friend, “The economy is going to get much worse and Rishi has no answers – if they think getting rid of me is the answer they’re much mistaken.”
and so it proved.
April 15, 2024
John Redwood is a very good constituency MP as this text shows – a shame more do not follow his example
April 16, 2024
Sir John is known as a very good hard-working consituency MP and has done much for the folk in Wokingham over his long years of service. But nobody is perfect, even he, and I do not agree with all of his views, some of which are decidedly pro-fossil fuel. Just most of the rest.
April 16, 2024
But he’s Gold to most of us!
April 16, 2024
Try living without fossil fuels SG
They provide the power for 80% of the world’s energy requirements.
And tens of thousands of products made from fossil fuels.
April 16, 2024
Sir John
In my opinion you are one of the best MPs in the House and amongst a small number who challenge the Executive and try to serve the people they represent.
April 16, 2024
I’m curious about this ‘successful MP campaign to get the government to abandon top down targets to build more homes, leaving more to local decision’. Under the National Planning Policy Framework 2023 there are still top-down housing targets imposed on local authorities, who gained no new decision-making powers, and no leeway on special circumstances that they didn’t have before.
Do you mean you were ‘successful’ in persuading the media that the government had changed the situation, when in fact it hadn’t?
April 16, 2024
Pat
If the Local Council do not have an agreed plan, then Government will impose top down targets, JR wrote an article on this website about this problem just a couple of weeks ago, and indeed has also mentioned it for the last couple of years to no avail.
The Council have no one to blame butt hemselves but unfortunately they will never admit anything is their fault !
April 16, 2024
If this journalist is in your constituency, why aren’t they attending local events and following your interactions with the public and at the council actively? It might be beneficial for them to assess their work rate, and perhaps your office could invite them to observe your team in action for a day or more.
John, your proactive communication skills are commendable, and we value your daily commentary on various topics. The journalist has highlighted the necessity to better appreciate your effective communication, punishing work rate and outreach efforts.
April 16, 2024
Sir John Redwood is a giant towering above many MPs because of the sheer quantity and quality of the profound research he does on many key issues facing Britain.
I’ve always rated him as the gold standard for being an MP. Whilst no one is perfect many an MP today is too shallow to cut the mustard.
We are so lucky to have him as our default go-to MP who also listens and takes the feedback on board.
It’s amazing he works so that still undaunted by the government not listening and learning from him he never gives up. His wisdom on past economic mistakes by governments are now coming back in the news. Like gravity huge economic mistakes can never go away and be kicked into the long grass.
April 17, 2024
There can be few MPs who are as outspoken on all the major issues than SJR, and we posting here are very grateful for the insight you bring and the opportunity to contribute, knowing that you do read what we all send you. That in itself is quite a feat !
Being born and bred in Maidenhead and having attended Desborough school when it was a grammmar school, I know the constituency area very well.
I only hope your constituents appreciate all you do for them and your immense contribution to the national debate and that you are successfully re-elected, whenever we go to the polls. Thank You.
I will in turn be supporting my current MP, Chris Chope.