Content note: this article contains references to suicide that readers may find upsetting.

Our next MP for Answer The Question is Conservative MP Theo Clarke. She has served as the MP for Stafford since 2019 and worked on a national campaign that led to the first government inquiry in British history into birth trauma. A week before the general election, Stylist spoke to Clarke about life as a politician, her most memorable day in politics and why improving maternity care and services in the UK is so important.

What’s the most pressing issue for women right now and what are you doing about it?

“I’d say it’s women’s health. We haven’t talked about it enough as an issue, and one of the things I was most excited about in this parliament was the announcement of a women’s health strategy – especially as it was the first time a government had ever published one. It begs the question, why on earth have we not had a women’s health strategy for the last 100 years? It’s fair to say that because there aren’t enough women elected in parliament, topics such as endometriosis and birth trauma are just not talked about. But I hope MPs like me can continue to push for these issues to be talked about and acted on.”

What’s the one thing you want to achieve in your role?

“I’ve been very focused on trying to improve maternity services in the UK and running a national campaign on birth trauma based on my own personal experiences. I held the very first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history. With over 1,300 submissions from the public, it was clear that, sadly, there is a postcode lottery when it comes to health in this country. I’m absolutely delighted that the former prime minister prioritised this and even made it one of his last comments in the chamber before the election was announced – committing to a new national comprehensive maternity strategy as a direct response to my national campaign.”

What’s been your most memorable day in politics so far?

“I decided to give an interview to a newspaper and to share my personal story of birth trauma. And as a backbench MP, I really didn’t think it would make national news. I was absolutely amazed at the response that I had from the public. Once I shared my own story, I was inundated by other mothers writing to me wanting to share their experiences, whether it was in the last few months or the last few years. I was surprised and amazed by the huge response and the number of people that wrote into the inquiry is a testament to how big an issue this is in the British public’s mind. But there’s a real taboo around speaking about issues in childbirth.

I had another moment where I first shared my story, where in October last year, I gave the first debate in British parliament’s history on birth trauma. I had a very emotional speech and famously burst into tears in the middle of the house when I talked about nearly dying in childbirth and how scared I was lying on the operating table having just been separated from my daughter when she was born. I felt very emotional speaking about my own personal story but also felt the weight of expectations of the mothers who had written to me and asked me to share their stories too. In the chamber at the time, I had a group of mothers who came with the Birth Trauma Association and some of the other charities to watch my speech. I was very surprised that they gave me a standing ovation at the end of my speech, which is extremely unusual.”

How do people react when you tell them you’re a politician?

“To be honest, not well. A lot of my friends have a pretty dim view of politicians, which I totally understand given all the scandals. So, I tend to not tell people about my job or what I do. There was a funny moment when I was in my local antenatal classes and was learning about breastfeeding, packing my hospital bag and how to look after a newborn baby. Quite a few of the mums didn’t know who I was or that I was their local MP until they saw me talking about the birth trauma campaign on TV – which in a way, is quite nice.”

Do you have a constituent in mind when you’re standing up representing them in parliament?

“Absolutely. The very first constituency surgery I held was with a local farmer who was being directly affected by HS2. It was a really distressing appointment; they were exhibiting severe mental health issues and expressing suicidal thoughts and I had to immediately step in and get some urgent support. But there was still the second question: how do I resolve the outstanding HS2 claims on their farm? It’s causing so much distress for my constituents. And it’s taken me five years as a sitting MP to resolve some of these claims. I’ve been a very active opponent to the HS2 project and I always hold that first constituent in my mind because my job is to give voice to those who haven’t had their voices heard.”

What piece of criticism as a politician has stuck in your mind?

“It was when I was on maternity leave after a very difficult birth and I remember one constituent left quite an abusive voicemail. I was still in hospital at this point and they’d left a rude message saying how dare I not hold in-person appointments. I was certainly not in a fit state to see constituents at that point; I was barely speaking to my team. I felt disappointed that some constituents had already started to criticise me within a few days of giving birth.

Politicians don’t get enough support with newborn babies. If you look at the demographic of parliament at the moment, there are very few of us who’ve given birth while elected. There needs to be change to make parliament a more family-friendly workplace and catch up with other workplaces when it comes to supporting young families.”

What was the last lie you told?

“I went out to the supermarket to get some baby formula and completely forgot to get any. I asked my husband to go out and get some as the shop didn’t have any in stock.”

How do you keep your brain sharp?

“I do a lot of reading, especially as I spend a lot of time in my office late at night or in parliament waiting to vote on certain issues. I’ve never felt that I was an expert in NHS policy but since I’ve been doing my maternity campaign, I’ve been reading a lot of medical journals on a Sunday afternoon so I can keep up with the campaign, learn and keep my brain sharp.”

Why should a voter trust you?

“I get that many people are extremely frustrated with politicians. It’s one of the reasons why I chose to stand for election. I got involved in politics after seeing the expenses scandal unfold, and rather than shouting at my TV, I put my hands up and said I’m going to do something about this. So, I always say, trust me by my actions, not my words. I hope that my record of delivery in terms of bringing investments into my constituency and the work I’ve done around maternity policies will prove to voters that I can do a good job.”

What would make you walk away from politics?

“I did seriously consider whether I should stand again as an MP. After the murder of my colleague Sir David Amess, I remember sitting during the service and wondering if it’s worth being a politician. I’ve had a baby so I do feel concerned about my safety walking around; I’m very conscious of that. I have regular meetings with my police constable, but that vulnerability is still there. If my family asked me to stand down for safety reasons, then I would have to seriously consider leaving this job.”

What keeps you awake at night?

“Well, I’ve just had a baby so I’d say that happens quite frequently! My daughter doesn’t have any concept of time. She might wake up at 3am and decide she’s awake and wants to have a play and that’s that for her.”

Answer The Question is Stylist’s home for all things voting and elections. In the series, we sit down with MPs from across the political spectrum to get to the heart of who they are and, more importantly, why we should trust them with our vote.

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