Shannon is Westminster ‘workaholic’

Shannon is Westminster ‘workaholic’

10 January 2018

STRANGFORD MP Jim Shannon is one of the most prolific contributors in the House of Commons and that is official.

Newly published figures reveal the DUP politician contributed to 213 debates and question sessions between June and December last year.

Describing himself as a “workaholic” who wants to support his colleagues, Mr Shannon is well known among Westminster watchers for his frequent interventions both in the House of Commons and Westminster Hall.

In the six months between June and December last year, the DUP man spoke at all hours in the parliamentary day in debates ranging from school funding in North Northumberland and Cornwall’s dark sky status, to job losses in Cardiff. 

Mr Shannon said his interest in such diverse, regional matters stems from issues raised by his own constituents and he wanted to support his colleagues when they bring up similar matters.

“You build up relationships with MPs,” he told the Press Association.

“I try to be friendly with everyone – it’s just my nature to be like that. If I have an MP who I would be supportive of, and some of the things that they’re bringing forward, I will go and support them.” 

Mr Shannon is widely regarded as the MP who contributes the most in Parliament, making around double the number of interventions compared with other talkative politicians.

Analysis of Hansard records by the Press Association detailing the number of spoken contributions by MPs since June 13 – when the House returned after the general election – until it rose for Christmas, showed Torbay Conservative MP Kevin Foster recorded as having spoken or seeking to speak in 92 sessions in the two chambers.

“I have a busy nature and probably, in all honesty – and it’s not meant as a boast – a workaholic,” Mr Shannon explained. 

“I want to represent the people vocally and verbally where the occasion gives me the opportunity. Other people do it a different way and that’s entirely up to them. Every MP here is inherently a good person who wants to do his or her best for their constituents and, because we’re all different characters and different personalities, we’ll all do it in different ways.”

A backbench colleague from the Scottish SNP described Mr Shannon as “well respected” and acknowledged his hard work, adding: “It wouldn’t be possible for everyone to do what he does but everyone knows to expect an intervention from Jim Shannon when they’ve got an adjournment debate. 

“He’s a personable guy and he gets on with a lot of folk on a cross-party basis and he’s very supportive of a lot of the all-party groups and so on.”