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Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans takes his mind off Brexit with a visit to Scotland to watch the Six Nations rugby and is aired worldwide talking about the Ribble Valley in an interview with CNN
Amongst the madness of Parliament and the B word, it is important that politicians disagree strongly about other things too. Accordingly, I visited Edinburgh and met up with a number of my colleagues to watch the Scotland V Wales Six Nations match at Murrayfield. While I enjoyed the Scottish hospitality and even walked around their beautiful historic city, I could not resist shouting for a Welsh victory. Sport is one of those emotional things which divides and unites but usually allows people to come together after the event. I can only pray that this occurs with Brexit.
Talking of prayers, I held one of my regular surgeries in a church. I was moved to find a note from the Bamber Bridge Methodist Church, on behalf of the congregation, which informed me that they were praying for me. I can only tell you that this message really did cheer me up.
Brexit really has dominated my last two years plus at Westminster. I do speak about other subjects but it is the cacophony of noise around this subject which drowns out so many other important issues. This is a truly historic and uncertain time in which we live. I know from chatting to many of my constituents over the past few weeks that they are as frustrated as I am, and that they just want us to get on with it. I agree! While I do not seek an early General Election I fear that this is where we will eventually end up. As Brenda from Bristol famously said: ‘Oh no, not another one.’
I have spent quite a bit of time on ‘The Green’, which has become a tented city for the media. I was interviewed by Richard Quest of CNN, and I told him about the beautiful Ribble Valley on air and it was broadcast worldwide. I told him about the rather famous award-winning pub I live next to in Pendleton, and Richard said that he couldn’t wait to visit and for me to buy him a pint there. Watch this space!
I also spent some of my time speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire. It was a delight to welcome Graham Liver into Westminster where they broadcast to the county. I managed to sneak him into the Stranger’s Bar in the Commons along with his BBC team so they could breathe in the Westminster gossip for themselves.
I attended a rally at the end of March where I bumped into Nigel Farage and Ian Paisley and finally I helped celebrate the marriage of one of my colleagues, Sheryll Murray MP to her husband Bob.
The after celebration was in the wonderful apartments of the Speaker. For one glorious moment we had over 100 people in the House of Commons with Brexit definitely not the reason why there were so many happy smiling faces!
As so many of you have told me, please let this be over. Maybe I should ask the congregation of the Bamber Bridge Church to pray for that too.
