Heidi Allen: ‘Speaking About My Abortion In The Commons Was One Of The Hardest Thing I’ve Done’

Abortion was finally decriminalised in Northern Ireland last week, meaning women living there will no longer have to get on a boat or plane for a termination during one of the most difficult times of their lives. It’s legislation I and colleagues across the House fought long and hard for. When I stood up in Parliament and spoke about my own abortion, I can’t pretend it wasn’t one of the hardest things I’ve done in this job. I was the first MP ever to do so.

Because I was speaking from personal experience it turned out to be incredibly powerful. It won’t surprise you to know I was upset delivering my speech, but as an MP you’re there to do a job. I spoke about how ill I had been and how I’d had to make the incredibly painful decision to have a termination. At the time, I was having seizures every day and could barely care for myself, let alone a new life. It isn’t normal to have to disclose such personal things in your job, but as an MP you’re there to speak for those whose voices can’t be heard. If you’re not prepared to do that, you shouldn’t be an MP.

I left the Tory Party in February because of their Brexit policy and approach to welfare. The 11 of us who did hoped that, if we sat as Independents, it would be easier for other MPs to do the same and jump into a safe space in the centre ground. Disappointingly, no one else came – it turns out there isn’t as much courage in Westminster as we’d hoped. To change politics and build something better in Parliament we need more MPs from different backgrounds – nurses, doctors, teachers and businesspeople – who can bring a range of wider knowledge. Too many MPs don’t even know how the outside world works, and it shows.

Another reason I left the Tories is because I was sick and tired of trying to make the Government accept that there are serious aws in the Universal Credit benefits system, allowing vulnerable people to fall through the cracks. The replacement system of UC still isn’t working for the most in need. An impenetrable IT system and a five-week wait for money means people get further into debt and, when they finally get on the system, the benefits freeze means their payment isn’t enough to live on. I’ve travelled up and down the country with a camera crew, visiting poverty-stricken areas to shine a light on the effects of the system. Next, we’ll be going to Uxbridge, Boris Johnson’s constituency.

UPDATE: Today (29 October), Heidi Allen announced that she will be stepping down as an MP at the next election, saying that she was 'exhausted by the invasion into my privacy and the nastiness and intimidation that has become commonplace'.

WHAT’S GETTING ME THROUGH THE WEEK

EastEnders. My partner Phil and I are addicts, but we’re so behind. I think we’re currently watching May’s episodes.

Seeing constituents and doing normal stuff on a weekend. You really are in a bubble in Westminster. Constituents I don’t know stop me for a chat. That’s where real life is.

A bit of cleaning. When I get in on a Thursday night, the house is carnage. I don’t even take my coat off, I just set to work on the kitchen.

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