Despite 2024 being a difficult year for the Conservatives, in which they suffered a massive defeat in the General Election, Gagan Mohindra MP has proved he is still a firm favourite in the South West Hertfordshire constituency. Having been re-elected in July, the MP has reflected on the last 12 months.
What have you learned from 2024 that you’re bringing into 2025?
Last year’s General Election, whilst it made June a very busy month, gave me the valuable opportunity to get out and about in South West Hertfordshire and to speak to a great variety of people across our area. It was great to be able to hear from residents and to understand what really matters to the people in our area, and I will be bringing these priorities with me into 2025.
I am fortunate to be able to represent such a beautiful area as South West Hertfordshire, and it is absolutely essential that the beautiful green spaces and communities that form a key part of the fabric of our area are protected for future generations to enjoy.
The community spirit in South West Hertfordshire over the past year has also been a joy to see, and I will always admire the organisations and volunteers that work so hard to look after others. All of them do incredible work, and I have, amongst many others, enjoyed meeting with St Francis Hospice, South Oxhey Foodbank, Community Action Dacorum, Mission Employable, and the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust.
What was your biggest highlight of the past year?
I always enjoy visiting schools around South West Hertfordshire to talk about my career as an MP and the importance of working hard to achieve your goals. As someone with dyslexia, I want to help encourage every child to aim high, and I have greatly enjoyed visiting schools across our area and speaking to children of all ages about what they hope to achieve.
It is also always a privilege to host my annual debating competition in the Houses of Parliament with schools from our area, and this year, the standard of debating was absolutely incredible!
I have also greatly enjoyed hosting constituents in Parliament for tours for the first time this year, and I am always so honoured to be able to represent the people of South West Hertfordshire and to work in such a historic and amazing place.
Come the end of this year, what will you hope to have achieved?
Life in politics is always unpredictable, and who knows what things will look like by the end of 2025? I do, however, always say to people that my biggest achievements are those that you will never hear about, and helping constituents with their issues remains the most essential part of my job. I do around 10,000 pieces of casework a year and, if I can make a difference to even a few constituents by the end of 2025, then I will be proud to have achieved that.
What are you most excited about going into the new year?
As I have said before, one of my proudest achievements under the last Conservative government was securing funding for the new Watford General Hospital project. This is urgently needed for our area to improve the standard of healthcare and, from speaking regularly to the team at the West Herts NHS Trust, I am excited by the readiness of the project to go full steam ahead.
I am continuing to push for this hospital project to receive all the funding it needs for completion, and I am excited to hopefully see site-clearing works start in 2025 in preparation for the project’s completion by 2030.
What do you anticipate will be your biggest challenge?
In 2024, I was a Government Whip until the General Election was called. Whilst this position allowed me to have important conversations behind closed doors, I have been limited in my opportunities to raise the issues that matter to people in our area in the House of Commons. In 2025, I want to speak out more in the Chamber about the priorities of South West Hertfordshire and to embrace the challenge of holding the Labour government to account.
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