At the last general election, John Glen, Salisbury’s MP for the past 15 years, retained his seat—but with a significant shift in his role at Westminster.
Having served in government until the Labour Party's victory in the 2024 election, Mr Glen moved into opposition as Shadow Paymaster General, a position he held until November that year. Since then, he has focused solely on his work as a constituency MP.
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Being MP continues to be a non-stop role, as Mr Glen splits his time between Salisbury and Parliament, also partaking in the Treasury Committee and the Public Accounts Commission.
I was invited to shadow him for the day and see what a day in the life of Salisbury's MP looks like.
Aside from sifting through thousands of emails each week with the help of his team and spending time with constituents, every day Mr Glen has to decide on which of a number of conflicting engagements he is to attend in Parliament.
After several more meetings, including showing me his day-to-day commitments from his office (overlooking a stunning view of Big Ben), Mr Glen began preparing for Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
This particular day was an important one - Mr Glen was on the order list to ask a PMQs question for the first time in seven years, having been a cabinet member until the change of government last July.
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After thorough preparations to ensure his question was clear and concise, he was called to speak in the chamber.
He said: “Like many, I believe that London could gain new momentum if the government took bold action to challenge and empower those who steward our pension assets to do things in new ways.
"Following the chancellor’s decision to offer continuity of leadership at the financial conduct authority, will the Prime Minister convene an urgent No. 10 summit with city leaders and the regulators to provide a reset and to maximise the chances that the city can lead economic growth and recovery in these times of grave uncertainty and turmoil?"
After this, Mr Glen was able to use the window between PMQs and his next meeting to engage in drop-ins, further meetings, or other events held across Parliament.
I was delighted to be shown around myself, and the Palace of Westminster really was as magnificent as I had imagined.
I was lucky enough to be able to walk inside the House of Lords, where I was particularly in admiration of the Sovereign’s Throne, which stood grandly at the front of the chamber, used by the King for the state opening of Parliament.
Oil paintings and statues were hung and placed across the houses, as well as grand, intricately decorated ceilings. Each chamber was recognised by the changes in soft furnishings, with a green carpet for the House of Commons and a red one for the House of Lords. It was rather surreal to be inside Parliament, having only ever seen it on television.
I also attended one of several “drop-in” sessions held that day - a regular occurrence where various charities and businesses visit to share their work with MPs.
A drop-in about pensions had been cancelled, which Mr Glen had previously planned to attend, so instead, this particular drop-in was led by charity Equity, who I spoke to about the impacts on creative workers’ rights with the rise of Artificial Intelligence.
At 2pm, in The Thatcher Room at Portcullis House, I attended the Treasury Committee meeting, witnessed by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds, and the Director of Personal Tax, Welfare and Pensions, Laura Webster.
The meeting scrutinised the Lifetime ISA, questioning whether it is still an appropriate financial product nine years after it was created. This was of particular interest of Mr Glen, as former economic secretary to the treasury himself.
Mr Glen is typically in Parliament from Monday at around midday until Thursday evening, spending time in Salisbury with constituents in between.
He said: “I see myself as an MP all the time. When I get back on a Thursday night, usually I get the train so I’m talking to constituents often on the train back. And then, Friday mornings I go to the gym.
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“And then I go back and prepare, I have surgery - random one to one meetings, I go to a school quite often, I visit a business, the Samaritans, the hospital, the hospice, the racecourse - anything really.
“If people have got an issue or want something looked at and [need to] talk to me about something, it’s a lot of one to one stuff.
"I work with lots of different charities as well and I try and support those as best I can, and that involves lots of conversations, trying to help out in ways under the radar, as it were."
Upcoming and recent responsibilities include a talk at Bishop Wordsworth's School, canvassing on a Saturday morning ahead of the local elections, speaking to national media, a cheerleading event, mayor making and a rotary club dinner.
Mr Glen added: "It’s pretty rare to have a Saturday and Sunday where I don’t do something in the constituency.
"I see being an MP as a lifestyle and a vocation, rather than a job.
"It has its ups and downs but like most jobs, you just crack on with it.
"Obviously, there’s a very public element to it, someone’s always aware that you’re in the public eye, and when I stand in the House of Commons, I try and think, how would my constituents want me to be? Because in the end, I’m accountable to them."
Being an MP does have its limitations, he told me, as it can be misconceived that he runs the council or makes planning decisions, which he does not.
"I’m part of the national parliament, and when I’m in government, I'm a legislating government and when I’m in opposition, I’m challenging the government that is legislating", he said.
“Really, I’m somebody who has a set of tools at my disposal to bring attention to and to campaign for the interests of my constituents and the constituency of Salisbury. But, I don’t have access to a pot of money or a magic wand that allows me to fix all of our city’s problems or every individual pothole in every village."
The day ended, after an interview with me, with a reception by the countryside alliance, and another about a campaign to return stolen Ukrainian children - both concluding at 9pm at which point Mr Glen travelled back to Salisbury.
