THIS WEEK The Herald spoke with Preselli Pembrokeshire MP, Stephen Crabb. He started by saying:

“Back in my school days at Tasker Milward I asked if we could have a daily newspaper in the sixth form common room and they gave us ‘The Independent’. I think the teachers were keen that we got a balanced view and rightly so!

“That developed into an interest in practical politics later on, after university, when I was living and working away in London. My mum brought me and my brothers up on her own in a council house and I found it really rewarding working with youngsters that I could relate to. I was then asked to become a governor of a large inner city primary school, and from there I started taking a closer interest in political issues – especially those concerning young people, education and poverty.

“I remember sitting next to a Labour MP at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1996 and he advised me that if I wanted to do anything in politics I had to join a party and get stuck in. I took his advice, but didn’t join the party he suggested. He is still an MP and we have become very good friends since then”.

He went on to describe his week, saying:

“My typical week involves leaving Pembrokeshire either on a Sunday night or early Monday morning. I get back to the constituency late on a Thursday night. At the moment, because of the Wales Office job, once every couple of weeks I also do a mid-week visit to Cardiff to meet with Welsh Government ministers and others.

“Every Friday and most Saturdays are working days in Pembrokeshire doing surgeries and meeting with local businesses and other groups. I try to keep Sundays completely clear. The amount of time I have for constituency duties has not changed – that is protected time in the diary.

“I am incredibly fortunate to represent the seat where I grew up and being the local MP is, and always will be, the most important aspect of the job”.

The Herald asked Mr Crabb what were the key issues and events from last year in which he was involved, and what he thought 2014 would bring:

“The biggest issue facing our county last year, as now, was the threat hanging over Withybush Hospital. In 2013 I was also very busy with the decisions being taken by the Ministry of Defence over Cawdor Barracks, the home of the 14 Signal Regiment.

“Again, this was an issue where we knew that the desire to move the base had been around for some years. I fought very hard first of all to try to hold off that decision, but when it became imminent my priority was to secure an agreement from ministers that the Regiment wouldn’t move before 2018.

“I was able to get that agreement and that’s provided an important opportunity to ensure that we are not suddenly left with a hole in the local economy when the Signals move up the road to St Athans.

“On a happier front, I was closely involved with HSA in seeing the Haverfordwest Skatepark project clear its final hurdles and construction underway. To see to it finally open at the end of the year was thrilling for everyone involved.

“I want to see the country continue to improve, the economy to get stronger, and for Wales and Pembrokeshire to continue to feel the benefit of that. If that happens, it means my work both as a Wales Office Minister and as MP is bearing some fruit”.

On what the best and worst aspects of the job are, and how he felt about elections, he said: “I’ve fought three general elections now. I’ve lost one and I’ve won two and I definitely know which feeling I prefer. Democracy is there for the benefit of the country and the people; it’s not there for the benefit of politicians.

“In terms of what’s really fulfilling, unquestionably it’s when I see hard-work paying off and results coming through, whether for individual constituents and businesses, through casework, or at a community level working in partnership with others to secure more investment in Pembrokeshire. Perhaps the worst aspect of the job is the number of hours of my life I now spend travelling each week. I have come to dislike driving very much”.

Finally, we asked the MP when we might be treated to seeing him on Question Time, to which he said: “I was just wondering the same thing!”