Gwynne column: Time to reflect

In his first column of 2020, Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne looks back on a busy last few weeks in politics and explains what he plans to fight for this year.

The end of one year and the start of another is often a time of change and reflection.

After a year of too much food or too much booze, many of us make resolutions so that we can be fitter, healthier and happier.

It won’t come as news to anyone reading that 2019 ended very badly for the Labour Party – we lost the general election in December and saw the Tories win many seats from us that we’d held for many decades, particularly here in the North. 

Just as many of you might be reflecting on your chocolate consumption or spending last year, my party is reflecting on the results from last month and how we can change things in 2020 and beyond. 

Here in Tameside, I was incredibly proud to be re-elected once again to represent my home seat of Denton and Reddish and delighted that my two fantastic Tameside MP colleagues Angela Rayner and Jonathan Reynolds also won their seats. 

None of us are complacent though – we got a very clear message that we have work to do as a party to win back support from those who felt unable to vote Labour this time.

I am incredibly grateful to all of those in my constituency who continued to put their faith in me as their representative in Parliament – it’s the greatest honour to represent your own community in the House of Commons and I am delighted to be given the opportunity to continue to do so. 

For those who didn’t back me this time around, I’d like to emphasise how important it is to me that I represent everyone in Denton and Reddish, regardless of how they voted. 

So with this in mind, I will continue to dedicate myself to campaign in the constituency and in Westminster on the things that really matter to people in Audenshaw, Denton, Dukinfield and Reddish.

This includes campaigning for better bus services across Greater Manchester and to protect the Tame Valley from development across the river in Stockport. 

Beyond this, I want to keep on fighting for a fairer, more equal society, more police, better public services including health and social care, and tackling injustice wherever it exists. 

I’m looking forward to getting back to work in Parliament to do this.

Whatever your resolutions are for the new year, I wish you the best of luck and if you end up breaking them, there’s always next year!