We find out how recently-elected Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde has settled into his working life at the House of Commons
By Rebecca Maer
Josh Babarinde briefly thought about buying a toy sword soon after he arrived at Westminster.
Not to defend himself from dastardly political opponents but as a joke to hang from his ‘sword loop’, a pink ribbon which is tied on to each MP’s peg in the members’ cloakroom.
This and other archaic traditions are part of the learning process for the MP for Eastbourne, who won the seat for the Liberal Democrats with a 12,204 majority in July.
This result unseated the former Conservative MP Caroline Ansell who was once his supply teacher.
Babarinde, 31, has been busy in the eight weeks or so that the House of Commons has sat since the general election on July 4.
His record shows 19 spoken contributions, which included securing an adjournment debate last week about temporary accommodation.
The former youth worker has added to his wardrobe of bright suits in order to help him catch the Speaker’s eye and ask a question in the Commons.
He reckons his green, lilac and sky blue suits help him stand out. And he was told by the Speaker: “If you aren’t wearing a tie, you won’t catch my eye.”
We talk in a tiny side office at the Lib Dem base on Seaside in Eastbourne. Babarinde is relaxed and chatty, eager to share his first impressions of Westminster.
His new team of four staff work on constituents’ cases up the Lib Dem-orange painted stairs while an East Sussex College student finishes photographing Babarinde, thanking him profusely for his time.
The day before our interview, he took Eastbourne mother-of-three Kelly to Westminster with him. She had been served with notice to leave her home by the landlord but faced problems finding a guarantor to rent in the private sector.
Babarinde had secured an adjournment debate (listed on the order paper above), which lasts half an hour and allows a backbench MP to raise an issue and receive a response from a minister. His contribution is here.
“We got some answers which are promising, but we need more action,” was his verdict on responses from housing minister Rushanara Ali.
This is precisely why Babarinde wanted to be an MP: “My team and I can take an issue from the ground in Eastbourne to the highest place in the land to make sure a voice is heard: this is exactly what I came here to do.”
“I will stick to the rules but still be a disruptor if that means getting things done”
The issue of housing dominates the thousands of emails his office has received. The other hot topic is Labour’s decision to cut the winter fuel allowance of up to £300 a year for pensioners who are not receiving means-tested benefits.
“There is a case to be made for the wealthiest pensioners not to receive it but those in the ‘squeezed middle’ are really worried about what they will do,” he said. He voted against the cuts to the allowance.
Babarinde has started at Westminster energetically, fielding multiple questions and becoming known as the MP who mentions his home town at every opportunity.
There are quirks at Westminster which both amuse and bemuse him.
The House of Commons opens at 8am and MPs who want to secure a seat for the day must queue to obtain a prayer card to put in a slot above their seat.
They must then attend prayers, conducted by the Chaplain in the chamber at the start of each day’s business.
“The first time it happened I was around people who knew the drill and I didn’t. When the prayers started, half sat and the other half turned their backs,” he said.
“Both acts seemed potentially offensive! I didn’t know which to do so I thought I would chance it and just stand up. It turns out that sitting down means you are abstaining but respecting the prayers. Turning your back seems to signify you are praying in private.”
He shows me a photo on his phone of the ‘sword loop’, the pink ribbon. “I haven’t spotted a sword yet, but I’m tempted to bring a toy sword in!”
Then he explains how he has mastered the art of ‘bobbing’ up and down, which can be seen during Commons sessions when MPs briefly stand up and sit down again.
Questions can be submitted for any session and are drawn randomly. If yours is not drawn, you can still try to ask a related question by ‘bobbing’ to try to catch the Speaker’s eye.
Quick thinking and persistence are required to link what you would really like to ask to a question on the Order Paper.
He said: “Before last week, I had never been picked out of the question lottery. Every question I asked was from bobbing and thinking on the spot how to get an Eastbourne issue into these questions.”
For example, at a Treasury session, there was a question about the Towns Fund and economic stability. “I said a great source of economic instability across the nation is the cost of temporary accommodation – so I got away with it because I related it!” he told me, triumphantly.
So, he’s getting the hang of the procedures.
Shortly after arriving at Westminster, Babarinde was appointed Justice spokesman for the Lib Dems, reflecting his background in youth work and the criminal system. He was surprised it came so quickly but it means a lot to him.
While in his mid-20s, Babarinde founded ‘Cracked It’, a social enterprise offering smart phone repair services by young people at risk and young ex-offenders. He was awarded an OBE for his endeavour.
Overall, he is enjoying the collegiate aspect of life in the Commons, which he says has been a welcome surprise.
Photos: UK Parliament official portraits
He and Ben Obese-Jecty, a former army officer who is the new Conservative MP for Huntingdon, are frequently mistaken for each other and are scoring the encounters: it’s currently 4-2 to Obese-Jecty.
And he has made links across the political divide: he and the new Weald of Kent Conservative MP Katie Lam have locked horns politically but have spoken frequently outside the chamber.
“I am not a tribal beast – I am quite pragmatic in order to get things done.”
Babarinde wrote online after he won the seat: “It says a lot about our town when a lad from Hampden Park who looks and loves like me can stand to be Eastbourne’s member of Parliament – and win.”
These oblique references were to his mixed heritage – his father’s family is from Nigeria – and that he is gay.
Babarinde, who is single, said: “I haven’t had a proper personal life for a good few years now. It’s really important to me to always be ‘on’ and to be present, to be out and about.” He stays in London two or three nights a week due to late sittings and early starts.
His parents, who are separated, both live in Eastbourne. Babarinde has six half siblings between his parents, the youngest being 11. They are all, inevitably, extremely proud of what he has achieved.
However, he says: “When I visit the family, I’m just annoying big brother and I would never want it to be any different.
“At the end of day, I’m just a normal guy from Eastbourne who loves chips and gravy from Shades and a kebab from Clay Oven: other kebab shops are available!” he laughs.
Overall, does he feel he fits in?
“The place is very traditional and rules driven, and likes to keep people in their lane. I am more dynamic than traditional. I will stick to the rules but still be a disruptor if that means getting things done.
“In terms of do I belong here? I feel very strongly, whenever those thoughts come into my head, that Eastbourne has put me here.
“The people of Eastbourne have sent me to do a specific job, to take concerns from our town and that they are addressed by the powers-that-be.
“I’ve often thought that I don’t look and sound like the typical MP but that didn’t stop Eastbourne choosing an MP like me. I have got as much right to be doing this job as any other MP in that place: we are all equals.
“I am going to bring my skills, determination, experiences and, most importantly, love for Eastbourne to fighting for our town.”
:: This is an independent, not-for-profit news website reporting for the community.
I am a qualified journalist with more than 30 years’ experience. I interview people and ask questions. I do not copy and paste chunks of PR or social media content to fill space.
If my coverage helps you understand our community a little better, please support Eastbourne Reporter with a one-off or monthly donation here on KoFi for any amount you want. This social enterprise needs your support to continue.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
