What do Sheffield MPs do when they're in Westminster? I went to London to find out

It does mean that we, as Sheffield constituents, don’t necessarily know what our six local MPs are getting up to on a daily basis when they’re down in the capital.

We see PMQs on the TV, but not every member gets to ask a question in the session; we know they’re supposed to be there for big votes and most of the time they are; but aside from the big events that dominate headlines, what else to our MPs get up to when they’re in London?

Well, during a regional press visit to the Houses of Parliament, I met with two Sheffield MPs to find out exactly what it is they do.

I spoke with Penistone and Stocksbridge’s Dr Marie Tidball MP in the Jubilee Cafe next to Westminster Hall and was then transported to Portcullis House to chat with Gill Furniss MP, for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, in her personal office.

“At the moment, Monday would be an oral question in the chamber,” Dr Tidball said. “This week I asked about car and van theft.”

Dr Tidball posed her question to the Labour policing minister, Diana Johnson MP. She asked: “An increase in car thefts along with anti-social behaviour in Stocksbridge, Deepcar, High Green, Chapeltown and Dodworth has left my constituents feeling vulnerable and unsafe.

“Can the minister outline how she is tackling the rise in vehicle thefts, working with manufacturers to improve vehicle safety and supporting South Yorkshire Police after years of Conservative cuts?”

Gill Furniss said Parliamentary proceedings on a Monday start later, due to it being the main day of travel from far afield constituencies.

“We’re not required to be here straight away,” she said. “They tell us to be here for 3.30pm. Monday has been quiet recently because a lot of bills are in the early stages... if you do have a vote, it can run to 10 o’clock [in the evening].”

Tuesday appears to be committee days for both Dr Tidball and Ms Furniss. Dr Tidball sits on the education select committee and the Employment Rights Bill committee - the latter being where she spends most of her time on Tuesdays, as well as holding phone surgeries with constituents.

Both MPs spoke with The Star hours after Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions session. It is a set time when MPs from both the Labour and opposition benches can ask questions directly to the PM, Keir Starmer, and is the big event of the day each week.

From the press gallery, I’d spotted Dr Tidball seated on the Labour benches near the House of Commons entrance, but, due to the overhanging public gallery, struggled to spot any of the other five Sheffield MPs in the Commons.

Dr Tidball has “two long sessions” with the Employment Rights Bill Committee on Thursday currently.

Normally, on a Friday, MPs will start making their way home to their constituencies for the weekend. Of course, this Friday (November 29) is a high-profile vote on the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which is keeping most MPs in Westminster to have their say.

The working week of an MP is certainly busy and it takes a lot of getting used to, no matter your experience.

This is the largest Labour cohort in Parliament since Gill Furniss was elected MP for the first time in 2016.

“The first few weeks I had total disbelief that we’d actually done it,” she told me. “We’re not very good at winning elections and it took some time to sink in. It’s just amazing.”

Ms Furniss was full of praise for fellow Sheffield MP Louise Haigh for her work as Transport Secretary (of course, this was before Ms Haigh resigned on Friday morning), adding the policies she was implementing were “really big things that will change people’s lives”.

Dr Tidball has had to learn the job as she goes. As one of the brand new MPs in 2024, you are very much thrust into the work. Despite this, Dr Tidball is loving every moment.

She said: “It’s an immense privilege. I’m incredibly proud to be the first person in 100 years to represent [Penistone and Stocksbridge] that has grown up here.

“I’m really enjoying it. It’s busy and long hours but I’m really enjoying it. There’s a real sense of service working on behalf of constituents.”