Stripping Off with Matt Haycox

Andrea Jenkyns: The Unfiltered Truth About British Politics

Share episode

Tell us what you like or dislike about this episode!! Be honest, we don't bite!

Former MP Andrea Jenkyns has been shouted down, threatened, and told to stay quiet, but she’s never backed down.

In this unfiltered conversation, Andrea opens up about life inside Westminster, calling for Prime Ministers to resign, and the death threats that came with refusing to follow the party line. She shares what really goes on behind the scenes of British politics, why she believes woke ideology has taken over government, and what it will take to bring back common sense and accountability in the UK.

You’ll hear:

  • The untold truth about life inside Parliament.
  • Why Andrea believes the system is broken from within.
  •  Her personal experience of political backlash and threats.
  •  How “woke culture” is damaging free speech and leadership.
  •  What she thinks Britain needs to rebuild trust and direction.

Timestamps:
 0:00 – Intro
 2:55 – From Greggs to Government
 7:18 – Losing Her Father & Finding Politics
 13:29 – Calling for Prime Ministers to Resign
 16:31 – Why the System Fails Ordinary People
 24:06 – Woke Culture & Common Sense Politics
 27:41 – Death Threats & The Dark Side of Parliament
 29:16 – Policing, Crime & Accountability
 36:03 – Globalism, Net Zero & Economic Reality
 42:48 – Productivity, Labour & Britain’s Future
 44:23 – Covid, Government Failures & Public Trust
 49:19 – Boris, Liz Truss & Political Loyalty
 53:00 – What’s Next for Andrea Jenkyns

📲 Subscribe:
 YouTube: @NoBollocksPodcast | Spotify | Apple

Listen weekly on Stripping Off with Matt Haycox:

📲 Follow on IG: /www.instagram.com/strippingoffwithmatthaycox
💼 Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thematthaycox
🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@strippingoffpodcast

SPEAKER_00:

This is the unfiltered truth behind British politics.

SPEAKER_01:

I think our productivity is gonna nosedive under me. I worry about where we're gonna go as a country. We need to shake up a civil service. It's very wokey, it's very left wing. I'll call out bullshit.

SPEAKER_00:

Dame Andrea Jenkins, an outspoken northerner MP, and a fierce, no-nonsense politician who's never been afraid to speak her mind.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm a bit of a rebel, I'm not very good at toeing the party line.

SPEAKER_04:

Why do decisions not get made? Why do things not get done?

SPEAKER_01:

This is why I fought to get rid of Theresa May, because 17.5 million people have voted for something the government's not delivering. That's really gonna harm democracy, isn't it? We want some common sense politics again.

SPEAKER_04:

When people go, oh Boris hasn't done this or Trump's not done the other.

SPEAKER_01:

If you look at Stammer at the moment, he's bringing all this stuff in that wasn't in his manifesto.

SPEAKER_04:

£12 billion to Grandstand on the global stage on the When you call for a PM to be removed, what does that do to you in the party?

SPEAKER_01:

I've had seven death threats, matt, telling me I need to buy a stamp vest and I want my child to be raped by hammocks and murdered and all sexual content in the and the police didn't do anything. I think we're stuck with this for the next four or five years, but conservatives have got to be ready to fight back because we can't. I I worry about where we're gonna go as a country. I mean, did you see the latest thing, what um Angela Rayners said, um, that you can turn your email off at five o'clock um and not answer any work emails? Um the trade unions are getting stronger again, and they're telling the government what what they want. And to me, as someone who's owned a business, my dad owned a business, you've got a business, you can't dictate like that. How can you run a business? A business is international.

SPEAKER_04:

So so so what are they they're saying that that's a rule, that she wants it to be a rule?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, that want to bring this in as legislation that um so your employees could then challenge you. Oh, I'm not answering my emails after five o'clock. But I mean you you you work at two different time scales, don't you?

SPEAKER_03:

At two different time frames, so but but and and I guess, well, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll say with the needs of the business, but we shouldn't be bringing stuff in like this afternoon.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, it's not it's not their decision to make, is it? I mean, yes, okay, ultimately, outside of working hours, employees don't have to answer anyway.

SPEAKER_01:

The Labour government. I think our productivity is gonna nosedive under Labour.

SPEAKER_04:

I've come all the way from Dubai to London to meet a fellow leads person. I feel I feel like we've uh we've we've all travelled travelled too far. We could have done this at home over a couple.

SPEAKER_01:

But I understand, Matt, that you're an outspoken northerner as well.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, I when I was doing my pre-territure, doesn't it? Outspoken northerner MP, you're gonna be shouting at me and not answering my questions properly. But Andrea, uh Andrea Jenkins, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for having me, Matt. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I guess a very brief intro from me there that uh that you're that you're your leads and your political, but um let's um I mean let's let's go back to the the beginning that you can talk about how your journey into politics began because I I also know uh uh I think you you started off working in Greg's, so I think from from Greg's to the house to the House of Commons to uh to stripping off with Matt Haycox. What a journey.

SPEAKER_01:

Um well my mum and dad were from Hull and um all as they used to say, you know, the all accent, yeah. And amazing, inspiring parents. Dad used to say it doesn't matter where you come from in life, it's what you do in life that matters. And I started off in retail. My first Saturday job was at Greg's, as you said. Very nervous 16-year-old Saturday kid, dropped the tray of pastes on the floor. There was hair and everything on the floor, and the manager said serve it anyway. So I remember that moment very well. Um, but no, I was in retail management for about 18 years. I was a troubleshooter, sorting all out the problem stores, um, and you know, where for the comets of this world, the all sports, um probably most of the national retailers' fashion as well. I then um a changing moment for me was actually my dad was also a madcap inventor. And he went over to Pakistan um with this anti-theft device, vehicle anti-theft device. I mean, my dad was crazily eccentric. He he even invented this walking stick for the blind, which helped people when there was walking across the road, this big light flashing. He was amazing. And I got a phone call when I was a store manager at Comet. Um, this is 2004. Andrew, you're flying over to Pakistan next week, you're gonna um sing for President Musharraf and the Prime Minister. And I've always been a singer, songwriter. I was gonna say Soprano, etc. And so I flew out of there and it was it was amazing. Um, there's this guy in the audience who was a Brit who was uh, and I wrote this song called The Spell, which is an actual love spell.

SPEAKER_04:

Who was asking you to sing? Like who tired you?

SPEAKER_01:

Um it was my my my dad had met President Mushiraf and they invited us over to single. Okay. Yeah, so that was quite a surreal moment. So went across there, um, performed, ended up shooting a music video there, and and then I literally started ran my own record label recording studio for a number of years, became a music teacher in schools. But things changed when I um I don't have any political heroes. My dad was my hero, and he went into hospital. So this is quite a long story, I'm afraid. Don't worry. Long ones and good ones we like. He went into hospital in Wakefield, Pinderfields, um, to drain some fluid off his lungs, which should have been like a 10-minute procedure. But some trainee doctors practiced on him for two and a half hours, putting the drain in and out, and he caught MRSA and died. So that was a pivotal moment for me. And I then thought, what can you do um to make sure this doesn't happen again? So I joined MRSA Action, the charity as a trustee and their regional voluntary representative. Um, I worked at the Department of Health then on things, and I thought, oh, I'll stand to be an MP. So I saw my house in Lincolnshire, where I was teaching at the time. I had rock bands, I was a musical theatre director as well at the time. Um, to move in with my mum, age thought 38, late mum, and um because she was living near the constituency, to then try and take Ed Bowles' seat. Because I went into politics to literally improve healthcare.

SPEAKER_04:

And so, in terms of politics, I mean, you you weren't political in any way before that. I mean, I mean you you voted presumably.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I mean I was I was a local councillor, but I've I literally fell into that because my mum and dad was moving to Lincolnshire and well there was meant to, and so I was moving up from London and we got their first type of thing, and we we rented this um really dingy flat, an ex-boyfriend and I, um, and um and and the landlord, it turns out, was a member of the local Conservative Party, it was a local councillor, and he asked me to sing at his garden party. And that's how I sort of got into politics, but I was quite happy in the background. Um, but no, that I decided just literally to stand as an MP because of losing dad.

SPEAKER_04:

And how and how how does it work in terms of of let's say if someone wants to be a coming MP, you know, they they want to get into. I mean, do you you went to your local party or you're which and you're conservative now? Yes. I mean, were you always a conservative person?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, my mum and dad have always voted conservative. The first time I voted, I voted for Blair um in '97. Um that was I don't even think that's out there yet, Matt.

SPEAKER_04:

Um because you voted for Blair or because you were a legal. It was him, him that you liked.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Um, I mean, um not necessarily now, but um, but when it's the first you're a first-time voter, it was all the Brit Pop stuff. Do you remember?

SPEAKER_04:

Um that period.

SPEAKER_01:

It's all coming back now, isn't it? And if you remember, Princess Diana died around that time. So it was, yeah, it was an important part in our country's history. And so, but no, that was the only time I voted Labour. Then I've sort of begun to realise, because I wasn't political, that I was a conservative. So the route in, I mean, I say to anybody who wants to go into politics, decide what your values are first. Um, I mean, I'm I'm not Labour. I mean, Labour are more state control, aren't they? Um, they like to control people's life's big state. I mean, look what the Starmer's doing at the moment. He doesn't want people to have a cigarette in a beer garden. I think that's just ludicrous. I believe in freedom. So to me, I'm a conservative because I believe in freedom of the individual to make their own choices in life. I'm very pro-business because my dad always had his own businesses.

SPEAKER_04:

Would you consider yourself a um a business person? I mean, I don't know. Oh, completely.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, definitely. I mean, as an MP, I I ran my own um business club, um, Molly Natal Business Association for 10 years to um to make sure there was a voice and that could feed back to ministers, so we'd get ministers down, um, etc. So if people want to go into politics, decide which party and contact your local branch, conservative branch, if if it's conservative or Labour, and get involved. And no, it was an amazing journey. I mean, literally.

SPEAKER_04:

And what does get involved mean? You know, what are the kind of rungs of the ladder or the jobs that people get involved?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's sort of a political party, for example, with the conservative, is split into three areas. So one is the voluntary party, um, and you sort of have branches per constituency, uh, with a chairman of that branch as um deputy chairman, etc., treasurer, who'll run that um political outlet really for that area. Then you've got the professional side where they get paid um by the party to like run election campaigns, things like this. Um, then you get the political side where it's councillors, MPs, or elected mayors. You ought to do this yourself, Matt. Yeah. You look like someone who likes to shake things up. And um, so getting involved, like you might sort of get involved in the local voluntary side first, um, get a position within the local branch, um, do the fundraising, organise fundraising events, deliver leaflets. Um, and it's all about trying to get conservatives elected, um, you know, those who don't want a Labour government like we've got at the moment, a draconian Labour government. And um, yeah, so that's how it's all starts, really.

SPEAKER_04:

And and do you have to do the the let's say the volunteer jobs and things as well, or if the party sees um, you know, let's say, sees a good um a good potential candidate, can fast track you through everything?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, you you can, but all I'd say is when you become a parliamentary candidate, you are literally thrown in the deep end. So you need to know what you're doing, you need to know how to run election campaigns. I mean, for example, when I got selected for Morley and Outward, um, you don't get paid for um um, you know, so I gave up my job, sold my home to be a full-time candidate, you know, self-funded for two years. And I had to get groups of volunteers together because literally-two years um because you got selected two years before an election. Okay. Yeah. Um because the sooner you get selected before an election, you you've got more time to sort of make a name for yourself. And so we've got three-quarters of a million leaflets out in that time. So you need volunteers, you need to be able to fundraise to bring the the money and to pay for all this literature. And so, and you need to build up a campaign team for when the election comes, because literally you you have thousands and thousands of leaflets out there within a six-week period, lots of knocking on doors asking how you're gonna vote.

SPEAKER_04:

And are you, as an individual, kind of representing some of your own mini manifesto at that point as well?

SPEAKER_01:

I've always done that to be honest, because um I'm a bit of a rebel. Uh, I think it comes with being a Yorkshire less. Um, I'm not one, I'm not very good at towing the party line. Um, I think that's why I got shoved in the whip's office to try and shut me up for a while. Um, I mean, I've called for prime ministers to resign in my own party, etc. Um, so yeah, I had my own mini manifesto, especially in this election, what's just gone, because it was too wet for me, the Conservative one. Um, we want some common sense politics again. And so I had my own mini manifesto, and I mean I didn't win, but we saw there's a national swing um to Labour, or actually a national swing um in most people stayed at home. We had such a low voter turnout in this election.

SPEAKER_02:

Let me hit you with a mad stat. You are probably not subscribed. Seriously, 58% of the people who listen to this podcast every single week do not hit that subscribe button. That is more than half of you. So let's fix this right now. The goal here is super simple. We grow the podcast, we bring in bigger guests, and we give you even more no bullshit, actionable insights to level up your business and to level up your life. And with business, you set smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Well, here's one for you. Let's get that 58% down to well below 50% in the next three months. So please do me a quick favour. If this podcast has ever given you one good idea, one piece of advice that's helped you or helped your business, then hit that subscribe button. It takes a second, it costs nothing, and it means that I can keep bringing you even bigger and better guests, giving you even bigger and better insights. Come on, do it now. I'll wait. Done. Perfect. Great choice. Let's grow this together.

SPEAKER_04:

When you call for a PM to be um what, to be D-seated effectively, or to be removed, I mean, what what does that do to you in the party? I mean, I'm trying to put this in in corporate terms, and I guess if you were on my board calling for me as a CEO to be removed, you know, I'd be helping you clear your desperate agreement.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Um I mean, the thing is it's I had good reasons for doing this.

SPEAKER_04:

Um presumably you weren't alone either.

SPEAKER_01:

I I I sort of started the ball rolling. Theresa May's time. Um, I don't know if you remember that period, but we had deadlock in parliament. We'd we were in an international laughing stop because she kept bringing her withdrawal agreement through for the EU uh relationship with the EU five times. It kept getting defeated, and she'd run out of ideas. Um, the markets was all over the place, and she just didn't want to deliver Brexit, in my opinion, couldn't deliver Brexit what people voted for. And I'm a Democrat, you know. That's why I've accepted the result of losing my seat, because you know, it's people power, isn't it? Really? And uh and I saw really what a state the country was in, and we just couldn't get legislation through. We didn't have a majority, was on a confidence supply agreement with a DUP um to make up the numbers, and so something had to give. So during Prime Minister's questions, I uh I politely um said I think it was time for her to go.

SPEAKER_04:

And did she r did she get to respond there in that as well?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, is on YouTube actually. Um she she just smiled sweetly, had uh steel behind her highs because she's a very strong lady. Um and yeah, obviously disagreed with me, but um I there was the momentum going then. I was sort of organising a whipping operation to get other MPs to put the letter in. And it had to be done because you cannot have a government who what's not functioning. And presumably Well it affects everybody's life, doesn't it, Randy?

SPEAKER_04:

And presumably at the point that you said that to her in in question time, you know, as angry as she may have been that you said it, presumably it wasn't the world's biggest shock to her. I mean I mean you and her had not been getting on before you've been in privacy.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's not about not getting on. It's a case of commercially not getting on. Yes. I mean, I resigned from my parliamentary private secretary role, which is like ministerial aid, to fight for Brexit because I mean I was on the Brexit committee at the time, and to me, if 17 and a half million people have voted for something the government's not delivering, you know, that's really gonna harm democracy, isn't it? And so that was sort of my thinking. Um and and I believe that I was right, because then Boris came in, we won this super majority, uh, but unfortunately then COVID hit, etc. And I mean I I'm naturally loyal. I mean, I've this is why I haven't jumped parties. It'd be very easy for me to jump parties to another party, I've been asked. But to me, I'm a conservative party leaders come and go, but I want to see conservatives into government.

SPEAKER_04:

So how much can be done, let's say, by any one person in in the party? And I guess maybe Ask if we're like a a business uh owner's bent on. As you know, I I uh live in Dubai now. And one of the things that sometimes people who want to hate on Dubai will say is oh, we you know, it it's um uh what's the word? It's uh a dictatorship, but it's a dictatorship over there. Now, as a business owner, uh I would argue that any that a dictatorship is always better than a democracy. It's all down to who's the dictator in power. Obviously, you know, if you've got a horrible dictator, then it's gonna be a bad situation. But if you've got a dictator with, let's say, the best interests of the end goal in uh at heart, then as long as he's capable of delivering, you're gonna get something better. And to me, that's how Dubai runs. Yes. You know, when when they say something's getting done, it's getting done. And you know, and they knock up hundred-story buildings in Dubai quicker than I can get my local roundabout fixed back in back in the back.

SPEAKER_01:

And that is one problem with the UK. Our productivity is ridiculous, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04:

And and and why is I mean, like you know, sitting in the in the offices of power, yeah, what what what what is it like? I mean, why do decisions not get made? Why do things not get done? Does no one want to make a decision?

SPEAKER_01:

No, I think actually it's um we need to shake up the civil service. I mean, I was a minister, you know, for a short while under Boris and Liz. I was uh education minister responsible for skills, which is higher education, further education, apprenticeships, um, and what skills an economy needs. And I love that role. Um, but I found the blocks you get from civil servants because if you think they are there, whichever government. And for example, when both Suwela and Priti was home secretary, they got so many blocks from civil servants and the unions threatening to strike, even though we had a manifesto to bring um down um illegal migration and bring down um migration. Um, the blocks you got from them. So I think that that system needs to change. It's very woke, it's very left-wing. And there it is like, yes, Minister, you know what we used to watch in the 80s. The block says, I think we need a system like in America, where they bring through the top levels of civil servants, every time you've got a new government, you bring those in with you, and then you know that things will get done.

SPEAKER_04:

And and is there no no way? So, how does it happen in practical terms? So let's just say I I become I'm I become a secretary of something, and therefore it's my job to deliver, but I've got to deal with these local ministers, uh, etc., below me. If I find out that they're either not on board with me or they're being slow, they're being crap, and I and anything I ask you, I'll probably ask it in corporate terms because you know I think of it as a business. You know, let's say I was parachuted into a business to do a job, and I talk to the the departments below me and the people below me. You know, they if you're not on board and you're not the right person to deliver, I need to get rid of you.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, completely.

SPEAKER_04:

Because otherwise otherwise ultimately someone's going to get rid of me.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the mentality I've got as well, Matt.

SPEAKER_04:

And then you're not able to get rid of these people.

SPEAKER_01:

But isn't it just a fashion for life? Literally, the civil service, you know, they have their own levels within it from the top civil servants, you know, the director levels, top civil servants running a department. It's heavily unionized, and it's it's very hard to get rid of them. I mean, look, pretty tried, and she got told that she was a bully, they pulled that card, and the they made it difficult for her. Thankfully, Boris supported her because she's certainly not a bully. And I mean, it's you got the different levels because if you think that um say if you're the Secretary of State, um, you've got your junior ministers below you, and you've you can really, if you want one of them sacked, if they're incompetent, you know, it's within well within your right. But it's so much more difficult with the civil service. It's it's hard to do. And and this is what it's wrong, because to me, I've come from a business really, and I've run my own business. My dad ran his own businesses all his life. Um you you sort from the wheat from the chef, those who are incompetent, you move them out of the business. It's not as simple as that. This I find that the civil service um actually um, yeah, there's some good ones there, and they've got the knowledge base, but they only tend to do what they want to do.

SPEAKER_04:

And who's the boss like to do something, you know, like if if someone using pretty as your example, you know, does she have people under her that she can fire, or is it is it is it not like that?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, she she has people she can fire in the ministers. The civil servant, she can ask for them to be moved, but because it's so heavily unionized, um and gosh, I mean, I I was a government whip responsible for the Northern Ireland Department, the Northern Ireland Whip and the International Trade Whip. And I um I'd go to meetings with the Secretary of State, it's all the senior civil servants, and the amount that was working from home was ridiculous. And there just wasn't around. And I remember the Secretary of State at the time saying, arguing with a senior civil servant who ran um the civil service in in the Northern Ireland office, saying, No, this is ridiculous. We need people in the office. How can you get the best out of people and build those relationships? And God, the fight that they had to have. And this is what I mean. I feel that they delay progress, if I'm honest with you. And and how I think that the government should be more like business, and I think we'd get more done.

SPEAKER_04:

And then moving that up than a level to to government, you know, to political parties. How what what what is the reality like there in terms of getting things done? Because I guess you know, in the same way that say a secretary of something as their civil servants they need to deal with. I guess the the prime minister is effectively the CEO of the party.

SPEAKER_05:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04:

But how much can they get really get done on their own? You know, like you know, when people go, oh, but you know, Boris hasn't done this or Trump's, you know, or Trump's not done the other.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's two aspects of it.

SPEAKER_04:

It's not like me owning my own business, you know what, tomorrow I've waited I'm gonna wake up and decide that we're taking a complete different different direction and you're all gonna do it, or you're all gonna get replaced.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean I mean the Prime Minister could do that. Um, I mean, if you look at Starmer at the moment, he's bringing all this stuff in that wasn't in his manifesto. I mean, he's cutting the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, yet is giving all these, what is it,£12 billion to grandstand on the global stage on the net zero stuff. Um, so they can do that.

SPEAKER_04:

Um is that him as an individual, uh, you know, like on a complete single-minded way?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, definitely. But the thing is, the civil servant are more left-wing inclined, so you'll find that he gets more done. Um, this is why I would like every time there's a new government, you bring in the top civil servants with you, because there's too many blocks otherwise. I mean, I was tasked with bringing the freedom of speech bill through, you know, being an northerner, believing freedom, saying what you what you think. And um because in universities lecturers were getting no platformed, you know, over the trans stuff saying that you know, um didn't that that there's two biological sexes, etc. There's getting no platform, someone's losing their jobs. And I wanted to meet some of these people and the civil servants, the blocks that they was um putting in there. I mean, I even went to the Secretary of State. Look, you've got to back me up with this, but I got overruled. And that was that's a frustration. You need a good person above you to back you up because or you have somebody who actually goes on the side of the civil servants.

SPEAKER_04:

And uh what where's what's your view on the on let's say the woke situation of today and and where where has that come from from from from a political perspective? You know, why why is everything getting softer and softer and why are these bonkers concepts being you know bit being being allowed to perpetuate? I I I found out the a few weeks ago actually. Uh my my daughter goes to school up in Leeds, yeah, and their deputy headmaster is now a deputy headmistress.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_04:

But it's worse than that. It's not it's not that he's transgender, is he likes dressing up as a woman. And sometimes he comes in dressed as a woman, and sometimes he doesn't. So we can't even make his fucking mind up. I mean, absolutely bonkers. Um and but I mean that isn't even scratching, it's scratching the surface of the stuff we've got.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, where's it come from? I think it's this whole left-wing student type movement. Um, and and it's just got common sense has gone out the window, hasn't it? And we're on this common lack of common sense, wokey bandwagon now. And this is why there's the fight back.

SPEAKER_04:

I mean, it's But the politicians, the politicians who do support it, which I guess is more than more than not is is that is that because they believe in it too, or they just think, oh, this is another route to votes if I if I agree that it's okay to identify the tree that I'm gonna be.

SPEAKER_01:

It's more left wing. Yeah. So in the political spectrum, it's going to be the Lib Dems, the Greens, and the Labour. It's it's more them than Conservatives Reform who believes in all this craziness. And it's been going on. I remember um be you know being a candidate back in 2013 and being lobbied by organisations wanting um regarding the trans rally um for them not to put agenda on a passport. And I disagreed with that because I mean the security element, it's it's it's crazy to me. And so it's there was a good 10-year lobby there and to get to this stage where we are now. But but to me, um, Matt, I don't care what adults do, um, you know, behind closed doors, etc., as long as it doesn't involve animals or children. Um, but I don't want this pushed on my child child. I've got a seven-year-old child, Matt, and I don't want to confuse him. Let children be children. And so it's this whole thing, it's gonna get worse in schools because the conservatives, um, again, um it's civil servants at every level, it's every public sector organization, it's so wokey. And and I'm not a feminist, I'm a meritocrat. I don't care whether we had a cabinet full of men, it's about actually having the people with the right skills, isn't it? And and all this positive discrimination, which has been, I mean, it started Joe and the blaze, isn't it, with human rights, etc. And God knows why I voted for him at the time. I was one of the ones problem for voting for him, I think. But so it's been going on decades, this. And I think unfortunately, um, like during the Brexit years, I mean, I don't know how you voted, Matt, um, but I voted to leave and I was quite a big Brexit campaigner because I believe in freedom. You get labelled a bigot, a racist. Um, and you've got to be very strong to stand up to these. And God, the amount of abuse. I mean, I've had seven death threats, Matt. I've got CCTV at my own home because of idiots like this. I've had people email me saying they want my child to be raped by hammocks and uh and murdered. Uh so you've got to be strong to stand up to uh to this uh crazy culture.

SPEAKER_04:

How are those kind of things dealt with? You know, um so w when when when you're in a um an MP position and you get death threats or you get things said about the children, what what what's the process you go through?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, I personally think it's quite politicized, and I didn't want to see these uh elected mayors, which was a political position who's in charge of our police. And I mean for example, I know um some Labour MPs in Yorkshire who have had far better support than I have at being a Conservative MP when stuff like this and theirs is mild in comparison to what I've sort of gone through. And I'll give an example of um I had a constituent who uh lives a mile and a half from where I live, and I'm divorced, so alone with my young seven-year-old child. And that's why I've got CCTV. And I got 70 emails in three months, which is only like 12 weeks, um, telling me I needed to buy a stab vest, saying I've got a devil child. And the email. On the same person. Yes. Emails started getting more and more familiar as if he knew me. And there was sexual content in there, um, there was uh quite violent content, and the police didn't do anything. So I had to go to the Speaker of the House of Commons, I had to go to Pretty when she was home secretary to get the police to even act on it. And all he got was just a caution. He said, Oh, I hate the Tories, I was bored, middle class guy, not even a student in his bedroom. This is a middle class guy, better house than I've got, um, all these fast cars, he's got a bow. He just hates the conservatives. And he got let off.

SPEAKER_04:

I mean, aside from your own personal experience with that, would you argue that the police are soft in general across the board? I mean, again, we we were we were talking um talking before we started recording, and you know, we're talking about me from being from Dubai, and I know you were you were jesting about people getting their hands chopped over there, and as barbaric as some of these punishments in some of these countries may be, you know, they serve a purpose and people don't mess around. You know, you know, drugs in Dubai, I'm not gonna say I'm not going to say it's it's unheard of because uh things happen. But even I even the most avid drug lovers that I know do not go near drugs in Dubai because they know that serious consequences.

SPEAKER_01:

To be a place of consequences.

SPEAKER_04:

Whereas in England, with I mean obviously murder's a different story, but you know, aside from kind of murder and rape, you can pretty much get away, you know, you just just get on with it and get away with anything.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, look at Starmer, I don't know if you saw some domestic abusers are being let out this week. I saw the story at the weekend. One tried to strangle and kill his girlfriend in front of her young child, and he said, I'm going to come back and kill you, is being let out today, Tuesday. Um, so it is too soft. I mean, I believe, um, like Rudy Gilliani did it as a New York mayor, the broken window theory, where no crime too small should not have a consequence or be punished, because it stops and progressing to bigger crimes. Um, but I also believe in a restorative justice where, because if you actually look at the facts, um it's actually white um working class boys who are more likely to go to prison, more likely to commit suicide, have mental health problems, and it's people in the care system. So I think if we've got a restorative justice as well as being strong, where you can break that cycle of crime. I mean, I I don't know if you do know Tempest Nova in Leeds. You've got to get to know them. They're an amazing um charity where it's run by two prison officers. Um, you have to get them on, Matt. Um, and they've really been getting people into work and breaking that cycle of the crystal.

SPEAKER_04:

What's the premise of what they do?

SPEAKER_01:

Um recruitment to get you know ex-lags back into the workplace. So, but our police system at the moment, I don't think it's strong enough. And I don't want to see our police, you know, marching um waving rainbow flags. I want to actually see them arresting people. If there's a burglary or even if it's a white van, um, all his two's been stolen, uh, which will affect his his business. I I want to see strong policing.

SPEAKER_04:

But where where does it come from? Because presumably people who sign up to be a police officer sign up because they want to fight crime. I mean, they're not just thinking, ah, you know what, if I need to earn a few quid, I'll I'll I'll just become a cop. I mean, they know that they're taking a job that, you know, is theoretically dangerous, it's going to put them open to abuse, etc. So you you you'd think they're doing it because they want to have some kind of effect. Uh, I mean, what so what where does the softness come from?

SPEAKER_01:

I think um, I mean, I speak to some some some of my local officers who I've known over the years who have been policemen for 20, oh no, I say policemen now, are you? Um being in the policemen for like 20 years or so, and they think it's ridiculous. And they just want to get on and catch criminals, do their jobs. So, where's it come from? I think again, I've put it back down to the blair years, the human rights stuff, the equality and diversity. But like I said, it should be of opportunity, shouldn't it? Um, it we shouldn't we should have policies of what's right for everyone. And I think that it's come from them and this whole left-wing agenda, what's infected the civil service, every public sector organisation across the country, it's affected the NHS. I mean, did you see on the NHS website that um they call it chest feeding instead of breastfeeding now? Because I don't want to offend offend people. I mean, it this is just craziness.

SPEAKER_04:

I was uh I was watching uh coconut or some uh some uh cartoon with my daughter the other day, and I was staggered when I heard they were still singing Bar Bar Blacksheep on there. Make the most listen to this because if you go to England you won't you won't be hearing these words.

SPEAKER_01:

You've got to admit, I mean, so how old are you now?

SPEAKER_04:

Uh 43.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, well, I'm I've just turned 50. Um the 80s were great. The um the comedies, I used to love Father Ted. You could take the Mickey out of each other.

SPEAKER_04:

Um Jim Dav Jim Davidson and Mike Reed were my favourites. Oh absolutely, no.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean they wouldn't be Jim.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh yes, I have. Oh yeah, I've met him a few times. I was uh it was one of those uh real examples though where you know you shouldn't meet your heroes. I was I was I was very very disappointed. Oh no. But he's great on stage.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, absolutely. Um, but I just I think we've lost so much as a country, and we must be um what what will Putin think of some of the stuff we're bringing out at the moment? It's crazy, isn't it? You know, we we used to be this great nation, um strong army, etc. And we just got bonkers, I think, as a society. And we have got a two-tier policing system. So back to your other question. I mean, I'll give an example in Leeds. You know, we've got that Queen Victoria statue in the centre of Leeds. Well, during the BLM Black Lives Matters marches, um, they defaced that. The police was uh uh the protesters, the police were just stood around. Yeah, we see um again, we saw the the Romani community in Leeds about uh six weeks ago. Um it all kicked off there, there was burning down the buses in Hare Hills. Did you see that? Yeah, I didn't. And again, the police just stood around that it happened. But when you see in um Fruestama is calling everybody far-right thugs now if he's got a different view to them. Um, and did you see that that woman who uh retweeted something on social media and her husband's a conservative counsellor? And now she's um going through the court system. And to me, it's just crazy some of this.

SPEAKER_04:

What's the charge?

SPEAKER_01:

Um uh inciting violence for just retweeting something. And I and it's just got crazy because um, I mean, I have constituents now because I'm quite outspoken, and I don't like people trying to silence me, especially a government. Um, and in in Britain, which we should be a beacon of free speech, and yeah, you you don't I don't agree, you know, with um racism or bullying or anything like this, but you should be able to speak a view, and to me it's always the intent behind stuff. We've lost our sense of humour as well as a society, haven't we?

SPEAKER_05:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Um I mean as I said, I used to love the father Ted stuff. Uh, you know, you should be able to take the Mickey out of each other. I take the Mickey out of myself. And we we just lost our humour as a country as well, I think.

SPEAKER_04:

I mean, does does anyone, whether it's a person or a party, really have the ability to make great change? Or, and I guess to put a bit more context to the question, I mean, the the pretty very poor layman's way I see things is that let's say from an economic perspective, if our country was a business, it would be one that would need to go through a financial restructure. Ie, you know, if you were looking at it as a business, you'd be saying, listen, Mr. Director, Mr. Shareholders, this business is knackered. It either it it you know an injection of capital isn't going to fix it because it's fundamentally flawed. You need to go through an insolvency process and come out to the other end. Yes, there'll be some uncomfortable conversations for you to have with your banks and with your and with your staff, etc. But the reincarnation will be a solid, viable business going forward. And everybody understands that concept. But for me, you know, the the the country is effectively in the same position and needs the same radical to blow the door off at the end of the day. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. But the reality is it would never ever happen because anyone, you know, anyone in power who did that would never get re-elected, would be, you know, would be uh whatever the word, not ridicule, but you know, put it uh abused and bullied during the life of William. How can real change and real fixes ever happen? Because like using that financial example, if a business is so far gone, yeah, you can keep printing a bit of money, you can keep plugging a few holes, but you know, five years, ten years, fifty years, it'll still be this, it'll still be the same position all you know all the way down the line.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and look, the Bank of England's independent, isn't it? So they um make decisions which is out of our control as well. And uh, in my opinion, sometimes political decisions as well. Um Journalist, Triss's tenure, etc., and Boris's. Um it's very difficult because when you've got globalists like Keostama there, um, I mean, I'll just give an example. The World Health Organization, they was trying to bring in um globally this legislation which they could enforce lockdowns on countries. But to me, as a country you're sovereign, it's down to your parliament and the people you you elect. And so I tried to fight that in parliament, and but I think Labour will agree to it. So when you've got these international um um uh organisations as well, it's very difficult to break it, man.

SPEAKER_04:

And why are they agreeing to these things? Are they bowing down or doing deals like in Richard?

SPEAKER_01:

It's down to their own perspective. Starmer's a globalist, and unfortunately, some in my own party are. Um, and but to me, I'm about global trade, but a sovereignty of a country. Uh uh, the statehood and uh the nation-state is one of the important aspects to me. Um that's what you can control. And if you start going global, I mean, to spend this 12 point whatever billion pounds for this net zero, um, just to grandstand on the global stage, actually, it's not all been invested in Britain. This is uh for the whole global cause. When they're taking money off pensioners, I think it's just ludicrous, actually. You look after your own country first. So can you ever break it? Liz Truss has got a book, actually, you ought to read it, Matt. Um, I know I know the left ridicule Liz, but I know her very well. And she looked, she was foreign secretary, she was a uh minister in the treasury, she held more positions in government than any one of the modern day politicians. And um, she has got an interesting book she wrote, which actually discusses this and all the different organisations which can hamper progress of a government in my country. And and it is bigger than, I mean, it's like getting the keys to a new car, thinking that right, I I can guess full speed ahead and get on with things, but I think there's just so many blocks in government, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_04:

And you you you mentioned what foreign aid, for example. Again, I'm gonna put this into business terms. If what what are the conversations that go on internally in in a party or in a government? Because again, if if you if this was a a corporate and you and you're saying, right, we've got X amount of money to go around, guys. Uh, make a number of there's a hundred million to go around in in terms of spending on operational uh expenses and capex, etc. So we're going to put 15 million into cancer research, and then someone's going, hang on a minute. We haven't got any money left to to to refurbish those those six um you know those six units down there. In business terms, that conversation would never happen. I'm not being uncharitable, but how can I donate that money to cancer research when I can't afford to refurbish you know some of my some of my own retail shops or some of my own bars or whatever they are in the business?

SPEAKER_01:

Or the hospitals even, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Or whatever it may be. But then take so take that into government terms. You know, we're shipping, you know, shipping billions and billions of pounds to foreign countries, which yet I'm sure they need it, uh and it's it's sad that they do need it, but how how can they justify giving that money elsewhere when every problem isn't fixed at home? I mean, what what what are the conversations that you guys have behind behind closed doors when someone's saying, right, we're gonna send whatever 20 billion to the Ukraine?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, this is why I always say trade rather than aid, because let's face it, um age doesn't necessarily lift people lift people out of poverty, giving them the tools, the skills to actually you know set up their own little business locally. Um teaching them to fish. Yeah, exactly. Uh so I've always believed in that trade will help um people as well. So I think that route. So how do we end up doing this? Um I mean, a political party, for example, what will happen, what would have happened at the um before the election, each party comes up with a manifesto, they decide how they're gonna spend their money, like you said, which slice of the pie goes into which department. And it's at that level um with their advisers, they decide then. And when they get into government, as we've seen, Rachel Reeves is is apportioning a lot to international aid um and um and net zero. So it's down really to the to the government how they spend the money, definitely. But to me, um people voted for that. Uh I know it was very low turnout, and reform actually split the conservative vote. I mean, my vote split in half when the reform stood against me. Um, and Labour got in, but they had a thousand less votes than last time, but they got in because a lot of people stayed at home. Um, so I think we're stuck with this for the next four or five years, but conservatives have got to be ready to fight back because we can't I I worry about where we're gonna go as a country. I mean, did you see the latest thing, what um Angela Rayners said, um, that you can turn your email off at five o'clock um and not answer any work emails? Um the trade unions are getting stronger again, and they're telling the government what what they want. And to me, as someone who's owned a business, my dad owned a business, you've got a business, you can't dictate like that. How can you run your business? A business is international.

SPEAKER_04:

So so so what are they they're saying that that's a rule, that she wants it to be a rule?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, that want to bring this in as legislation that um so your employees could then challenge you. Oh, I'm not answering my emails after five o'clock. But I mean you you you work at two different time scales, don't you? At two different time frames.

SPEAKER_03:

So but but and and I guess, well, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

We'll say with the needs of the business, but we shouldn't be bringing stuff in like this anymore.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, well, it's not it's not their decision to make, is it? I mean, yes, okay, ultimately, outside of working hours, employees don't have to answer any of them.

SPEAKER_01:

The Labour government. I think our productivity is gonna nosedive under Labour.

SPEAKER_04:

But and and how realistic is a prospect like that? I mean, how how long would that take to happen? What would be the practicalities if it wouldn't be?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, they they could make it happen within the next three to five years. Um And and would everyone have to take part in it or Well, I haven't seen the fine detail obviously because I'm not in government and they're a different party, but this is what this they've been saying in the media they're going to do. So and they can make that happen because they've got trade unions are so strong now, aren't they? Again. We need another Thatcher to hold them back again.

SPEAKER_04:

You mentioned you mentioned a uh a while ago, we took uh you mentioned about lockdowns, I think, when we were talking about uh Starmer. You were in um in uh office during uh COVID, weren't you?

SPEAKER_05:

Yes.

SPEAKER_04:

So I ask a lot of these questions just from my own, let's say, personal personal interest, really. When it was COVID time and people talk for, you know, for example, about oh, you know, Boris has made this decision, you know, Boris has locked us down or Boris has made us wear masks. Who who really makes all those decisions then? And presumably, you know, Boris, it's not Boris's only like final decision, other people have to you know support him, second him, help him. Talk me through from the beginning of COVID.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I mean, it was it was unprecedented times, wasn't it, really? I got COVID very early on as well. I got it in the and so did my my seven-year-old in the February. Um, I had a big Brexit bash with 400 people there. I think most of us got it then in Yorkshire as well. Um, so I mean, Boris's natural reaction, which all the left um demonized, was to let people get on with their lives, build up an immune system. Um, will those who are the weakest and most vulnerable will will get them to um stay at home, but everybody else get on with their lives. And I think that would have been the right decision because we saw how the entertainment industry, didn't we, the um hospitality industry, retail, they just got hammered during that time, didn't they? And a lot of businesses went out of business. Um, and so that was his natural reaction. But then you had like the health secretary, all the so-called health experts, the chief medical officer, coming up with these statistics saying, you know, like hundreds of thousands of people are going to die. This is what our data's showing you. And so a prime minister's then under pressure. Does he want blood in his hands? Um, does it go with his natural instinct? And then, if you remember, all the media was jumping on Boris at the time, saying, um, you've got to bring in lockdowns. And Starmer wanted more strident lockdowns. He wanted a lockdown for longer. And so I think it was a media pressure pushing it more as well. The um scientists giving these uh doom monger figures where I think Boris felt he had to act in that way.

SPEAKER_04:

You know, when you mentioned, for example, you know, Starmer wanting even longer lockdowns, uh how often do people in politics always like mean what they say? Like, like my uh, you know, say layman's view would be because you're an opposing party, if I say black, you've got to say white. You know, and and so if if if Boris says short lockdowns, Starmer has to go long lockdowns.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, No, I mean if you think in times like that, um there was a um a war consensus, wasn't there, during the Second World War? Um and so there can be work together, and you think they should work together at times like this, but I think Starmer very much politicized it, which was a shame. And you're right, you can't always trust people, but this is why we need less career politicians, more more sort of straight people as in straight as in um conviction people in politics, because there's too many people who just do whatever to climb at the greasy pole. And um so what was I gonna say? Um I'll give an example. I mean, Lut Starmer, I don't know if if you saw yesterday in the papers, he had these headlines while he was the opposition leader that um all these thousands of people are gonna die if the conservatives cut the fuel allowance. And we weren't gonna cut the fuel allowance, but he said that. Yet now he's cutting the fuel allowance. So I tweeted yesterday, um, what's changed, Starmer? Yeah, you know, he said that. And and I think this is a problem. And this is why I fought to get rid of Theresa May, because 17.4 million people voted to leave. Politicians, cross-party, was trying to stop Brexit, and that's wrong. You know, that's actually gonna make people um even more disengaged and more angry. I mean, I had people join Brexit in Yorkshire saying they've never voted in their life, they're sort of our age, and they're gonna go out vote to you know get control in our country again. And so we should never let people down. So I back to your original question. I think the issue is that yes, there's been a lot of politicians like that. I think there is a lot. I mean, Boris's heart is in the right place. I know him very well. Um, Liz Trust as well. I think she had the right policies, especially for business. Um, she didn't have long enough to enact them, unfortunately. Um, so I think politics needs to be cleaned up. We need to um ensure that we start rebuilding trust. But when we've got a government at the moment who's completely U-turned, I mean they call in flip-flop Starmer, don't they?

SPEAKER_04:

You know, you said you said then uh about tweeting Starmer, saying, you know, what's changed? Do um do MPs get to do their own tweeting and their own social media or or um you know do do do things need running, running through a check? You know, like when people talk about Trump's tweeted this. I mean, does Trump really sit in sit in office with his with his iPhone out bashing out a tweet, or does he say he wants to say something?

SPEAKER_01:

I I understand he does some of his own, actually. Um I mean, yeah, most of us do our own. Some people um MPs get their teams to do it because they know that if they like rip on on their I've always done my own, and you see, if it's got bed bad spelling and grammar, it's usually me who's tweeting it because I I always forget to put my glasses on, can't quite see what I'm typing. Um but because I'm quite outspoken on social media, um, and I'll call out bullshit. Um I I'll tell you a funny story actually, Matt. When um Boris made me a dame, you don't know beforehand. And I remember I was driving from London to Yorkshire, my phone rang about five o'clock um on a Thursday afternoon, and they said, Oh, it's a number 10 switchboard. I thought, oh shit, they'd be looking at my social media again. And it turns out that um, oh, um, Boris has um made you a dame, you're gonna be on the honours list what's released first thing in the morning. So that was a major, you know, big wonderful surprise. Um, but um yeah, so social media, you you can put what you want, but you might get told off by the whips. I got told off by the whips a few times. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

And then and then are you are you supposed to remove it, undo it, etc., or just depends what you've put, really.

SPEAKER_01:

Behave behave yourself next time. I mean, um I'd call out people in my own party if I know that they're not speaking the truth over stuff and they're trying to put out a per public persona which I know is different behind closed doors. I I can't help it. I've got ADHD though, so that's my excuse. I tend to just be reactive and blurt things out.

SPEAKER_04:

Just going back to uh a little COVID talk for a minute. I mean I mean, uh, you know, I'm uh surrounded by people who like to like to talk conspiracy theories, and you know, whilst it's uh it's not my uh not my thing, yeah. Um sometimes some of the stuff you see it's it's hard it's hard to argue with, you know, some of these alleged historical plans that have, you know, that that have that have played out. I mean, you know, as someone who has you know been behind the walls of power, I mean, do you do you ever get the impressions of other forces pulling strings?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's unfortunately, it's just socialism is infecting every fibre of society in our institutions and um this whole globalist agenda which Blair was very much into. They want this sort of one nation, one world government, don't they? That's why the WHO are trying to uh put pressure on on states, etc. And I mean the UN, did you see the UN um yesterday? United Nations, they are now saying you can't say um man's best friend. And all these they're attacking our phrases now, um, because it's gendered. And and so I you know, I went on Jeremy Vine yesterday complaining about this. Um and I think it's uh socialism's, like I said, has affected every fibre of society and true conservatism, common sense, we've got major fight back. I mean, what's your space, Matt? Maybe I can come on and talk about this thing I'm planning at the moment um with some good friends and colleagues of mine, to where we're gonna fight back at institutions.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, I was gonna obviously come on to ask, you know, what what's what's next for you? You know, you've had nearly 10 years in in politics, uh, I guess. I mean, what when when you when you lost your seat, w were you expecting to lose it?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I'm an optimist, so you I mean you have that little niggle behind your head, don't you, thinking, oh, this might happen.

SPEAKER_04:

But you presumably you've got a vague idea of where the numbers where the numbers are heading at that point.

SPEAKER_01:

Um but I mean no data actually showed that there was this big group who was undecided, and we didn't know where that was going to go. So it would we knew it was gonna be 50-50, especially the new boundary changes. Um, my constituency would we we took in Farney Whertley and the towel blocks and it completely changed the makeup of my seat. So, no, I mean, and I don't believe in looking back, Matt, life's too short, isn't it? I mean, I've lost both parents, and you know, you've just got to make most of life um as you can. And so within 24 hours of losing my seat, I'd updated my resume, uh, started applying for roles. I've applied for some directorship roles and non-execs. I'd like to also do some stuff in animal welfare, being in animal welfare children and animals is a big passion of mine, protecting those. I'm writing a book about you know, behind the closed doors. Um it's um, I won't give the title yet. Um Behind the Closed Doors of power. Yeah, uh, and it's about a decade of political mishaps. It's it's more of a humorous take on some of the and some true stories in there of what I saw.

SPEAKER_04:

Have you got a publisher for it already?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, not yet. No, no, it's literally um I've I've been writing all the chapters and I've sent it out to some friends in the media and they found it quite amusing and interesting, some of the anecdotes. Um it's yeah, so it's the early stages. Um, so I'm doing lots more media, but I love business. I've you know, I've studied economics as well. So business is important to me. I need to use my brain. So let's see what happens.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, but you don't you don't want to go back into politics?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm not sure really. I think this thing that I'm planning, which will hold institutions to account, is going to be interesting in the next five years. So um I'll tell you about this when we're not on air.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, and and uh well th thanks for being here and thanks for sharing what we've been sharing anyway. And maybe we can do a round two in a in a few months or a few years' time, and you can you can you can tell everyone about it too. Thanks a lot for being here.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks for inviting us, Matt. Thank you.

Head Shot

Matt Haycox

Host

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.