Boris’s youngest MP Sara on her ‘baptism of fire’
From battling a devastating family tragedy at the age of nine, to helping to support the country through a global crisis, Hyndburn’s MP Sara Britcliffe speaks candidly to STUART PIKE about her father’s election night tears, handling stage nerves and the doubters, and the months that have changed the world for ever.
AS she traipsed the wintry Accrington streets canvassing voters during the general election campaign, Sara Britcliffe could never have imagined what 2020 would hold in store.
Even on election night, December 12, some portents were unfavourable - one forecast was for another Conservative defeat in Hyndburn by an agonising handful of votes.
But having successfully ridden on a wave of support for Boris Johnson’s party in Leave-voting constituencies which swept away a red wall of northern Labour seats, she became the borough’s first Conservative MP since 1992.
At 24, and her party’s youngest member with a handsome majority of almost 3,000, she was about to enter Parliament at a historic juncture - perhaps unparalleled in modern times.
On February 21, the World Health Organisation held a press conference on the Coronavirus, warning starkly of more than 2,200 deaths in China - and eight deaths outside China.
That happened to be Sara’s 25th birthday. A month later, the UK was entering full lockdown, striving to contain the impact of a terrifying enemy unheard of just months previously.
It has now claimed the lives of at least 45,000 Britons, and a time before it seems a distant memory.
Sara, who is still a St Andrews councillor, admits nothing could have prepared her for those bruising early months in the job, but she was to take heart from the counsel of colleagues.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s only been seven months at all,” she says.
“It really is a baptism of fire, especially when we went into lockdown.
“It’s been a difficult few months, but it’s been difficult for everybody.
“Senior colleagues said to me ‘We’re all in the same boat, no-one has had to deal with something like this before’.
“I think the worst part was when we first got elected and had everything to set up.
“That was frustrating, looking back. Your emails are flooding in, you’re finding your feet in the Palace of Westminster.
“My office was just getting up and running to the point where I didn’t have all my staff members yet.”
By April, the former Moor End Primary pupil was enjoying the nerve-wracking honour of a maiden speech to Parliament, setting records again as the first MP to do so remotely via video app Zoom.
The former Mayoress of Hyndburn, daughter of long-serving ex Hyndburn council leader Peter, is the second youngest MP in the Commons, narrowly beaten to that dubious ‘Baby of the House’ accolade by Labour’s Nadia Whittome.
She embraces her position of bringing a fresher voice and perspective, but says she is far from a lone crusader, listing ‘ Class of 2019’ colleagues Dehenna
Davison and Nicola Richards, both 26, among close backbench allies.
Like most of us, particularly in early lockdown, Sara’s life and job were consumed with one issue - Covid-19.
She speaks of her pride at the “united front” Hyndburn has presented in mitigating the pandemic’s economic and psychological impacts through the work of the Hub, which has helped thousands of people.
There has also been conspicuous joint working between the two main parties as the shutdown eases, including the #ThinkHyndburn poster campaign.
As well as taking a prominent involvement on the ground locally, the MP has raised the issue of health disparities between BAME communities with ministers through her seat on the Women and Equalities Committee - or as she puts it holding the Government “to account”.
From PPE to the Dominic
Cummings controversy, and testing and tracing, ministers have faced a barrage of criticisms over their performance in the pandemic.
And it’s far from over, as recent outbreaks on the borough’s doorstep stoke fears of more more human suffering, more economic inertia.
But, amid Labour calls
for a speedy public inquiry into the crisis, she strikes a defiant note - heaping praise on the Chancellor’s “astounding” programme of financial support, and adding that all countries are “suffering” together and must learn from their mistakes.
“The amount of jobs that have been saved through the furlough scheme and the packages of support to protect people during this pandemic has been astounding,” said Sara.
“The cogs have been turning so quickly to protect jobs and livelihoods.
“I do believe that it’s being handled robustly.
“There will be lessons learned in every situation; that’s something that will come in the future. It’s not the UK, it’s the EU as well, they will be suffering.”
An honorary member of the British Youth Council, Sara hints that her political style may evolve, but says she hasn’t changed her personality because of the job.
A self-proclaimed “home girl”, what she enjoys most about being an MP is constituency casework - making a difference to those who need it.
Part of that is realising that she may not have all the answers - even if that might invite sniping comments.
“There’s a very strong northern accent, and I think
I bring that diversity to the party that we have seen with the new intake,” she said.
“There’s that different aspect, a fresh set of ideas. I’ve grown up in Hyndburn so I see the issues that we are facing as a community.
“I will be a strong voice when it’s necessary, but I also haven’t changed my personality to the role. I think I’m very personable.
“I think if there are fights that need picking I’m not afraid to pick those fights.
“That will come further down the line.
“One of the things with my age is I don’t pretend that I know best, I am more than willing to listen.
“If I don’t know something I’m not afraid to ask those questions.
“During the general election there were a few patronising comments made about my age. But it’s not something I’ve experienced here in Westminster.”
One of those fights spoken about by Sara along with the new crop of northern Tory MPs, is the socalled ‘levelling’ up agenda, reducing inequalities that disproportionately impact on the region.
Among her priorities is delivering improved connectivity, and she references a successful crossborough campaign to save the X41 Red Express bus service, as well as progress on rail partnership SELRAP, on which her predecessor Graham Jones also campaigned vigorously.
She also welcomes Accrington benefitting from the £1 billion High Streets Taskforce, which the Government says will provide data and guidance to help local authorities unleash untapped potential in town centres. However, she admits much more needs to be done.
In her maiden speech, Sara vowed to be “a bloody difficult woman” - a gibe embraced by former MP Theresa May - and in heartfelt passages also laid out her commitment to mental health issues, citing harrowing childhood memories.
Sara’s mum Gabrielle Kroger died tragically at her home in Oswaldtwistle in 2004 - a devastating loss for a nine-year-old to endure, and one that has had a profound and lasting effect.
“What happened with my mum made me grow up very quickly,” Sara admitted.
“She really did struggle and was in and out of rehab due to her drinking problem.
“There were times when I struggled because I witnessed it.
“I really did see some devastating things with my mum.
“It made me grow up a lot quicker than any young girl. It was turmoil for my family.
She added: “What we have to do is recognise that this is an illness.
“I really tried to make her stop drinking.
“I wanted my mum to be just my mum again.
“Unfortunately, due to her drinking problem, it ended up with me losing her a lot earlier than I should have. There will be children in the exact same position that I was in.
“If I can change things to make things easier to help them, that’s what I want to do.”
Undimmed by the passing of years, Sara vividly recalls a strong mutual “adoration” between them.
“I never wanted to be apart from her,” she said.
“We had a very, very close relationship. She was told that she might never have children and see full pregnancy.
“I’ve got lots of great memories.
“She was a stunning woman, absolutely beautiful.
“She was very attentive towards me. That motherdaughter bond is irreplaceable.
“If your friends were going out shopping or doing things with their mum, to miss out on that is hard.”
When Gabrielle died,
Sara’s father and two older brothers formed a strong support network, but Sara admits it was still hard at that age to “compute” what had happened, particularly with the family in the public eye as her father was Hyndburn council leader.
Despite enjoying a long and high-profile career in local politics his own attempts to stand for Parliament would prove unsuccessful, and Sara fondly recalled his pride at her being able to make that extra step for the family.
“He was very, very proud of me, as you can imagine,” she said. “He was in tears when he found out we had won.”
A musical theatre lover, Sara is well used to the stage, having been involved in local theatre groups from a young age. She sang, danced and acted at St Christopher’s CE School and at university in Manchester, and growing up was part of the Sparks youth drama group at the Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre.
She says parallels can be drawn between going on stage and performing in the House of Commons bearpit, although one is far more daunting for debutantes.
“Sometimes you can look at the [House of Commons] chamber and think you’re in a theatre,” she said.
“You get used to standing up on stage, but it’s very new to me standing up and knowing that this is live and everybody can see you.
“It’s a lot easier to stand up on a stage. But it’s getting to the point where you do sit in the chamber and forget about it.”
So what of the future? With the country still in the clutches of a coronacrisis, Sara insists progress is also being made as the clock ticks down on another constitutional shock to the system - the end of this year’s Brexit transition period.
She says, despite the rhetoric, the EU and the UK have been “getting their heads together”.
“It’s important to recognise that - even though the pandemic has been going on,” she says.
“Brexit was a huge player in the general election.
“One thing we saw is that this country was fed up of having the same arguments over and over again.
“There’s a lot of ‘what if’, but we are seeing progress.
“The Department of International Trade has been in negotiations constantly.
“One of the comments from businesses in Hyndburn and Haslingden was they were sick of the uncertainty.
“We have come in and given them this certainty that this will get done and they know how to go forward.”