Interview

Doctor in the House

Dr Richard Taylor, the new and very independent MP for Wyre Forest, speaks exclusively to healthmatters

This is a turn up, isn’t it? There have been lots of hospital campaigns before now, but none have produced their own MP. How have you managed to do it?

Most of the problems before have been community hospitals – and although they are very useful, they probably aren’t vital – but this was the first all singing, all dancing, acute district general hospital, which did everything except tertiary services, that was going to be completely eviscerated.

But it would be extraordinary to find independent candidates elected around the country on the basis of hospital reconfigurations or A&E closures, or…

Or any single issue? Yes, it would be remarkable.

And not necessarily a good thing.

Oh, I think it would be a good thing. I think there is a feeling of revolt at Westminster, because many backbenchers – and, surprisingly, a lot of Labour backbenchers – are feeling that the executive has got too much power and the House of Commons is sidelined.

And you see yourself as an ally of disaffected backbenchers?

I wouldn’t put it quite like that. The real power in this country should come from the House of Commons, with the government doing what the House of Commons wants it to do, rather than the House of Commons doing what the government wants it to do.

Isn’t it a problem being a single-issue MP?

No, not in the slightest, because there is no way you can be a single-issue MP. As soon as you are elected you are besieged with foot and mouth, the incinerator, police inadequacies because of staffing…

But you see yourself mainly as a local constituency MP?

Oh absolutely, and it is absolutely right. One vote isn’t going to make any difference on any major issue but talking to people, working with other MPs, one can do things – and the most amazing satisfaction is that I have got onto the health select committee, and that was entirely due to Martin Bell.

He knew that a health select committee has 11 members, and with the present organisation of the government seven of those are Labour, three Tory and one Lib Dem. He realised there was not much use approaching the Lib Dems, because they wouldn’t give me their one and only seat, so he suggested we approach the Tories.

He took me to see the Tory chief whip, and they put me forward for one of their places, which was very generous. When they told me they’d done it, before it was all signed and sealed, they did say ‘and there are no strings attached’, which was absolutely ideal.

Does that open up new opportunities?

Absolutely. The first major study the health select committee is going to do is on public-private relationships, and select committees are allowed to call whatever witnesses they want.

And that will include the PFI?

‘Public-private partnerships’ includes the concordat, working with private sector, and the PFI – and if we can’t get at the truth, then nobody can. Virtually as soon as I got to Westminster, I was approached by other MPs that have hospitals that are under threat.

We’ve got a group that has had a couple of meetings – there are 14 or 15 MPs interested – and we are getting together the MPs involved with Penzance, Crawley, Canterbury, Haslar naval hospital, here [Kidderminster], and looking at other small acute hospitals that have been downgraded, but have been downgraded more sympathetically than here.

But what is the principle at stake here? Is this about proper provision of adequate local services, is it about local democracy, or is it about PFI?

It’s a bit of all of that. The thing that has got me to where I am is the completely irrational, unfair and wrong treatment of local people by the removal of all acute emergency services, all acute inpatient services, from their hospital – and this is 100,000 people within four or five miles.

Are you worried that the government might find some way to incorporate you – bring you ‘inside the tent’?

I was worried at the beginning about what my reception was going to be like, and that they would perhaps try to sideline me, but the reception from virtually all Labour MPs I have met has been welcoming – no mention of how I got there, just very welcoming.

So no hard feelings ?

Not demonstrably to me. I have had a meeting with Yvette Cooper [the public health minister] at some length, and made many points I wanted to, and I did know that she is MP for Pontefract, and Pontefract could well be subsumed by Wakefield so she could have on her plate what’s been going on here unless she helps organise a better plan for the smaller hospitals.

And will you stand again at the next election?

I have been very careful not to say that I am standing again, or I am not standing again. I might find I like it so much that I do want to, but I am not making any promises either way.

And it’s a bit early yet to know whether you’d be re-elected.

Absolutely – and I am not going to do the job with my eyes on re-election. I am going to do exactly what I think is right. I am not going to vote for things that I don’t really understand, or that I don’t think are of tremendous importance locally.

Thank you.