Harlow MP Chris Vince looks back and looks forward as he marks a year since being elected
News / Sat 5th Jul 2025 at 10:44am
IT is one year since Chris Vince was elected MP for Harlow.
In his acceptance speech in the early hours of July 5th, Mr Vince adopted a very sombre tone. He was there to serve the people of Harlow.
It seems that every day, he has stood up in parliament in order to try and standup for the residents of Harlow and the villages.
He knows he will be judged next time at the ballot box.
There is a durability about Mr Vince. As we are prone to sporting analogies, we feel that he is like that tricky opening batsmen in cricket, that may not be hitting fours or sixes but he will be nudging singles and may be very durable and dogged.
His critics may say that Harlow needs a big hitter. But this is just 52 weeks in. There are four years to go and we will see how the land lines in 2029.
Thank you to Jaimie, Alisha, Lubna and Hanna form St Mark’s Sixth Year, who contributed to the preparation and research for the interview.
News item from General Election of July 4th, 2024 is below.
jarrett
2025-07-05 12:07:44
Four years to go you say? we may have had the IMF in and possibly a general election before then.
abbie
2025-07-05 12:23:30
Pollsters More in Common asked voters to list Labour's biggest achievement after one year in power, and the top answer by a landslide was "NOTHING".. I voted for Mr Vince, but I worry that by doing so, I’ve helped pave the way for those double-breasted suit and pink tie wearing spivs in Reform to get a foothold in British Politics - Get rid of your leader Mr Vince. He is useless and will ruin all of our futures.
David Forman
2025-07-05 12:24:08
Vince failed to get an adjournment debate on the UKHSA in his first year in parliament. However, Salisbury MP John Glen managed to get one within 7 weeks of becoming a newly elected MP for the constituency that covers Porton Down. Add to that, his political savvy is so poor that he fails to "read the room", as demonstrated by his repeated support of Starmer for three different iterations of the Universal Credit and PIP Bill. This is the man who at every opportunity says he worked for a homeless and a young carers charity, yet has harmed vulnerable people by supporting cuts to winter Fuel payments and supporting the retention of the cruel two child benefit cap. For a Labour MP this is disgraceful. I can't wait for the next general election to see Vince on his bike.
Peter
2025-07-05 13:08:41
I twice invited Chris, on behalf of my employer, to visit us to learn more about skills and how the apprentice levy could achieve better value. Other than the automated replies he did not reply. Yet he has found time to visit 30 schools. I guess photo opportunities will always come first. The last 12 months have been difficult for many people not helped by the uncertainty created by Donald Trump. The employer rights bill is a nonsense if it requires automatic sick pay, and if the ability to dismiss staff within 2 years is removed. I felt business hardly got a thought, did Stansted and the M11 corridor get a mention. Without successful business is there actually money for anything. Ask working people, do they want a new hospital or well paid jobs. Also not mentioned was the relationship between our labour MP and dynamic Tory council. If I was Chris I would cringe at the performance of labour in the council chambers
Adam
2025-07-05 14:05:26
yes U turn after u turn, being a yes man and helping the labour party destroy the UK via high taxes and job destruction. He should enjoy it as I do not think he will be re elected.
David Forman
2025-07-05 14:07:44
Peter, I am glad I am not the only one who has decided to "cringe at the performance of labour in the council chambers". It is worth highlighting that Chris Vince was Leader of Harlow Labour Group of councillors when I "cringed" regularly at their dire performance. Under Mr Vince's 'leadership' they failed to produce an alternative budget, although his successor has note done any better.
Adam
2025-07-05 14:24:12
Peter - he is an ex teacher he knows nothing about the real world of business, never having had a real job. Plus school children are not likely to ask difficult questions.
Alex
2025-07-05 14:55:37
I do sometimes wonder if anyone has ever taken the time to gently explain to David Forman what an adjournment debate actually is — and more importantly, what it isn’t. It’s quite something to witness someone speak with such unwarranted certainty about a mechanism that carries all the lobbying power of a polite shrug. There’s a strange sort of confidence in parading half-understood ideas as gospel — a confidence that might almost be impressive, if it weren’t quite so exhausting.
Ted
2025-07-05 15:09:50
Abbie. Chris Vince would not dare get rid Kier Starmer as he would have to go as well, because he has his head up Starmers backside. I can tell Vince what he sees when he looks back on the last year. Voted for the removal of winter fuel payments to millions of pensioners, voted for inheritance tax for farmers families , voted for the reduction in the number of disabled people who could claim P.I.P. The reason Rachael Reeves was crying in the commons , was she had turned around and see Chris Vince behind her.
Ted
2025-07-05 15:16:54
Peter Business was thought about , they upped their NI payments to 15% , which has caused many employee redundancies. But the extra money the goverment received was used wisely , they gave a 15% rise to train drivers already to £60K a year.
abbie
2025-07-05 16:11:58
Alex, I think you’ve hit the nail of the head there. Our parliament is so wrapped up in archaic rituals and traditions that it makes most of us feel a bit queasy "Will the right honourable gentleman give way?" "I thank the right honourable gentleman for giving way" - So much time wasted by people who work so little. It attracts a certain Peter Pan type who loves the games, the customs and ceremony and bore us all with their procedural expertise, but they can’t govern for toffee!!
gary roberts
2025-07-05 16:28:07
I would recommend that MP Vince listen to the speech made by Rachael Maskell MP during the PIP debate. She summed up this so-called Labour government in four minutes of brilliance. The Labour front bench just sank back into their seats in embarrassment. In short she highlighted everything that is wrong with this government. MP Vince should learn from her in both her delivery and her approach to the press. In the interview given to the editor he kept saying "you know" when sadly we do know; he is looking at a one term stay in office. And rejoice at that news because what comes after is even worse! This country is broken and getting worse so has anyone got a spare ticket to Vancouver this October?
abbie
2025-07-05 16:36:53
Gary - When listeners detect excessive filler words like "you know", the brain's amygdala activates a subtle "threat" response, signaling uncertainty or unreliability in the speaker. This evolutionary mechanism primes listeners to focus on clear, confident communication as a signal of trustworthiness.
David Forman
2025-07-05 16:48:43
For the benefit of Alex, I quote from Parliament's website on adjournment debates: "There is a half-hour adjournment debate at the end of each day's sitting. They are an opportunity for an individual backbench MP to raise an issue and receive a response from the relevant Minister." The point is Chris Vince did not use the opportunity, whereas John Glen did so to maximize his lobbying efforts on behalf of Porton Down's UKHSA workers. Therefore, Chris Vince has not made every effort to bring UKHSA to Harlow. See parliament article at https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/debates/adjournment/
gary roberts
2025-07-05 18:11:20
Adam, could I challenge your assumption that, "an ex teacher he knows nothing about the real world of business, never having had a real job. Plus school children are not likely to ask difficult questions." Are you a teacher? I would suggest that teachers' know exactly what goes on because the children tell them. And the good ones listen to them. Finally, are you suggesting teaching is not a real job? If so on what basis do you say that?
Peter
2025-07-05 19:50:33
Ted, national insurance was not increased for small companies, yes the rate increased but so did the Employer Allowance to £10500
Peter Lamb
2025-07-05 19:58:22
If you genuinely think Chris Vince is working for hard working Harlow residents I suggest you take a look at his voting record in parliament He voted to remove winter fuel payments to Harlow Pensioners and to bring in means testing He voted for Higher taxes on Alcohol ( we are already the highest in Europe) He voted to increase Stamp Duty He voted to increase capital gains tax He voted to increase employer national insurance tax ( this has had a negative impact on companies investment and staffing levels) He voted for a windfall tax on oil and gas companies (again causing them for cut investment) His government are on the verge of bankrupting the UK Chris Vince is a career politician who will not put the needs of Harlow Residents first and will always vote the way Starmer tells him
abbie
2025-07-05 21:11:55
Peter Lamb - I think Finland has higher tariffs on Beer & Spirits
Seamus
2025-07-05 22:27:38
I wonder, If it was possible to review your MP on trust pilot, just how much difference there would be between Mr Vince's self marking, and Harlow residents marking.
Ted
2025-07-06 07:12:05
Peter. The employer allowance rise from £5000 to £10500 is surely a drop in the ocean for large companies, and does not touch the extra 1.2% increase to NI
Seamus
2025-07-06 10:23:28
Ted, Large companies mean large numbers of workers and so the increase is in the millions and not chump change. What made it worse was only 8 weeks after telling U.K. companies that they must increase their employee national insurance contributions, they struck a trade deal with India. One part of the deal extends an exemption on national insurance contributions (Nics) from one to three years - meaning people on short-term visas will only make social security payments in their home country when working abroad. Put bluntly, at a time the U.K. labour government is insisting U.K. companies must pay more in N.I. we are telling foreign workers from India that for the first free years, they will have full access to all of our systems but not pay a single penny in the U.K. for N.I. How is that a win and how is that not a 2 teir system that once again disadvantage's U.K. companies and U.K. citizens?
Leave a Comment Below:
21 Comments for Harlow MP Chris Vince looks back and looks forward as he marks a year since being elected: