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

“I take the view that most people come into politics for the right reasons: they come in to do good things for their local community and their country. So, when some of my opponents try to somehow accuse me of somehow not caring or having ulterior motives, I find that very difficult. Because the truth is we may have different ideas about how to achieve things, but the overall goal is the same.”

What was the last lie you told?

“I hope he isn’t reading this, but last night, I may have told my 12-year-old that we had run out of Easter eggs.”

How do you keep your brain sharp?

“As health secretary, I would encourage everyone to exercise and one of the ways that I try to do that is by walking my very beautiful whippet, Bob. But I also have the great pleasure of working with very bright people and that definitely keeps me sharp. And of course, the prime minister is incredibly intelligent, and believe me, he puts us through our paces.”

Why should a voter trust you?

“I’ve spent my entire career working in public service. Before I came into politics, I worked as a criminal barrister and one of my earliest cases was representing a 12-year-old boy (who I call Billy) who was in court for the first time and completely alone. He had no adult with him. So, I asked him where his parents were, and he said that he’s never known his dad and that his mum was probably drunk by now. At that point, you could see his life chances fluttering away because the moment he gets a criminal conviction, so many opportunities would close on him.

I vowed at that point that one day I’d like to help children like Billy, and fast-forward many years, I joined the Ministry of Justice as a minister for youth justice. I was able to bring together the funding and policies to create a scheme to help intervene in the lives of young people like Billy, to support them in realising their opportunities rather than falling into a life of crime. So, I hope that commitment, that promise years ago would lead people to believe that if I say I’m going to do something, I will throw everything I possibly can at delivering it.”

What would make you walk away from politics?

“There is so much to do! I want to ensure that the ambitions I’ve set for the NHS and for social care are met, and so, subject to my constituents of course, I very much want to be working to keep those promises and to deliver the results that voters expect.”

What keeps you awake at night?

“I’m responsible for a department that has a budget that’s almost as large as the economy of Greece. The NHS looks after 1.3 million people a day. So, the size of that system means I’m constantly thinking about how to improve the quality and timeliness of care and making decisions every day. But behind every decision, I have the drive and focus on ensuring that the plans we’ve already laid out are delivered.

“Every single day, I’m thinking about how we can ensure that we’re delivering an NHS that’s faster, simpler and fairer for us all.”

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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