Tom Gordon celebrates 250 spoken contributions in Parliament

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, has reached a milestone 250 spoken contributions in Parliament, just over two years into his term. 

Mr Gordon contributed over 100 times more than his predecessor, Conservative MP Andrew Jones, did in his final two years in office.

Tom regularly takes part in debates and questions in Parliament, notably using them to secure the Prime Minister’s support to remove time limits on disabled bus passes.

Additionally, he recently took the opportunity to make a 10 Minute Rule Bill presentation, making a speech to introduce his Bill aimed at solving unfair student finance repayments. 

Tom often draws on first-hand experiences of local residents including those affected by the infected blood scandal and SEND provision.

The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough is now in the top 5% of MPs by debate participation and says he's "proud to be one of the most vocal backbenchers."

On top of his spoken contributions, he also holds the government to account through written questions to various departments, which now total 194. By contrast Andrew Jones asked 56 questions across 10 years. 

Tom said: 

"Spoken contributions are a fraction of the job. Between community events in North Yorkshire and meetings with charities or Ministers in London, and travel between the two, the time you spend speaking in the chamber can feel short- but it is crucial.

"The mum who emails me about North Yorkshire's school transport cuts has a vital experience that should be heard in the national debate. Being her voice is a pivotal part of the job.

"I'm proud to have hit the 250 milestone- about 20 of which were about disabled bus passes. It just goes to show how those words can become actions that improve people's lives."