Friday, October 14, 2016

MP's loss reduces Commons to tears - Mirror Politics morning newsletter

View Online Add to Contacts
Mirror Politics
Morning,

Too often Parliament seems divorced from reality, discussing abstract issues which bear little relevance to the people MPs serve.

Yesterday, we were reminded of their humanity, how they experience the same joy and sorrow as the rest of us.

You probably won't have heard of Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft.

Elected in May 2015, she has kept a relatively low profile and managed to steer clear of much of the infighting scarring the party over the past year.

Just before lunchtime yesterday, she reduced colleagues to tears with an emotional, uncomfortable speech as she explained how she had kept a secret for 23 years and wanted – or perhaps needed – to finally speak out.

Vicky told how she unexpectedly fell pregnant at 16 and gradually became more excited as her due date neared.

When her baby arrived - a girl she named Veronica - the umbilical cord was wrapped around her tiny neck.

Little Veronica survived for five days before Vicky agreed to turn off the life support machine.

She decided to tell her story yesterday as MPs discussed “baby loss”.

The debate was led by two Tory MPs, Will Quince and Antoinette Sandbach, who  have both lost babies and hoped to finally break the taboo that comes with losing a child.

Vicky's voice frequently cracked and she drew heavy breaths to get through the most difficult speech of her life.

Sir Nicholas Soames - that old Conservative who is the very epitome of British stoicism, reserve and the stiff upper-lip - wiped away silent tears as Vicky battled against herself in the Commons.

She thought long and hard about speaking out; even some of her closest friends did not know about the secret she has kept for more than two decades.

Yesterday, her brave decision to share her shut-away grief, her pain, her anguish, may have encouraged bereaved parents to seek counselling, to take solace in their friends.

And she, along with Will Quince, Antoinette Sandbach and the other MPs who spoke about their personal suffering in a bid to ease the suffering of others, made our country a little better.

If you want to get in touch my email is
 ben.glaze@mirror.co.uk and you can follow us @MirrorPolitics on Twit
ter.

Thanks,
Mirror Politics

Latest News
MPs set to vote in Parliament on stripping Sir Philip Green of his knighthood
MPs set to vote in Parliament on stripping Sir Philip Green of his knighthood
MP shares heartbreaking memory of the death of her baby daughter for first time
MP shares heartbreaking memory of the death of her baby daughter for first time
Boris Johnson admits he has no idea what the Commonwealth Flag looks like
Boris Johnson admits he has no idea what the Commonwealth Flag looks like
This Question Time audience member thinks Donald Trump is bloody brilliant
This Question Time audience member thinks Donald Trump is bloody brilliant
Pay and dismay for NHS patients as hospitals increase parking charges
Pay and dismay for NHS patients as hospitals increase parking charges
See More
facebook-icon twitter-icon
© 2016 MGN Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive updates from the Mirror.
Unsubscribe Terms of Use Privacy Policy
MGN Limited. Registered office One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AP. Registered No. 2571173, England & Wales.

No comments:

Post a Comment