How serious is Boris Johnson about keeping hold of new Tory territory in the North, Midlands and Wales? The prime minister made an early show of intent this afternoon by appointing Trudy Harrison, the MP for Copeland in Cumbria, as his parliamentary private secretary.
It is a hire of enormous symbolism. Harrison became the first Conservative MP for Copeland – home to the port of Whitehaven and once a Labour stronghold – in 85 years when she was elected at a by-election in March 2017. (The seat voted overwhelmingly for Brexit the previous year.) It was, in hindsight, the first sign that, post-Brexit, the Tories could make serious in-roads on what had once been unshakeable Labour territory.
Next door to Harrison’s constituency is Workington, of Workington Man fame. Hers is precisely the sort of seat the prime minister set out to win at the outset of the campaign.
Johnson succeeded in spades, and as such now relies on a group of MPs with unfamiliar wants and priorities – at least by the usual standards of Tory MPs.
Harrison’s appointment is intended to show that Johnson will take them seriously. She will serve as his eyes and ears and gatekeeper among an enlarged parliamentary party. New MPs will find their point of contact with Downing Street looks and sounds much like them, and represents a seat with what you might call a family resemblance to theirs. Harrison will likewise have an instinctive feel for their concerns.
It is by no means a new strategy for party management: Peter Mandelson, for instance, appointed the left-wing Jon Trickett as his PPS when he first entered Tony Blair’s Cabinet. Unlike Blair did in 1997, however, Johnson does not have an unassailable majority – merely a large one.
Retaining the loyalty and understanding the political needs of his new intake will be key to ensuring he not only survives his first term without a hitch, but secures a second. Harrison’s presence at his side is a sign that he is already focussed on that prize.
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