1. The Class of 2010 Who to watch in 2011?
Who will be the Westminster star performers of 2011? After a lot of hype and anticipation
about the new Parliament, MHP has analysed and examined the performance of the new
intake to produce our Top Ten for 2011. These are the MPs who will make it to the front
benches and be the loudest and most listened to in 2011.
Some of these will be familiar faces, others less so. But whatever the reason we are sure
you will be seeing and hearing more from them this year.
There are a variety of reasons why, in our opinion, these are the ones to watch this year.
Some have already been successful with positions on the frontbenches, some have been
assiduous in speaking and raising constituency issues, while others have had high profile
campaigns or been particularly effective media commentators or social networkers.
Luciana Berger MP - Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree
Although a controversial candidate, Luciana Berger has proved to be a
strong voice for her constituency in the House of Commons, speaking in
over 58 debates and tabling over 150 parliamentary questions. She has
made hard-hitting attacks on the Prime Minister on two occasions during
PMQs over cuts to higher education funding and back-tracking on the
promise to keep the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in place.
She is sure to make the most of her new role as Shadow Minister for
Climate Change.
Nick Boles MP - Conservative MP for Grantham and Stamford
Since his election Nick Boles has maintained his reputation as an insightful
political commentator, regularly making media appearances discussing the
Government’s performance. He has been a surprisingly strong advocate of
the Coalition and helped to articulate why it is more than a result of
political expediency. Since the election he has already found time to
publish a book – ‘Which way’s up? The Future of Coalition Britain and How
to Get There” – in which he makes a convincing case for a formal election
pact between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. We are sure it
won’t be long before he joins the ministerial ranks.
Dr Therese Coffey MP - Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal
Therese Coffey was not a high profile parliamentary candidate, but she has
been a strong and steady performer since taking her seat. From her
position on the backbenches she has been very vocal in the House,
speaking on all manner of subjects from the energy industry and health to
the prison service and foreign affairs. In fact it is hard to find an issue on
which she hasn’t commented.
Stella Creasy MP - Labour MP for Walthamstow
She may not have been ever-present on the Newsnight couches or in Ed
Miliband’s inner circle, but Stella Creasy has knuckled down in her first six
months and achieved results that would please a grizzled Commons
veteran, let alone a newbie backbencher. Her campaign around the issue of
loan sharking, in which she used a Ten Minute Rule Bill and some savvy
media and political pressure to force a Government review of the high-
interest loan market, has led to the possibility of the first regulation of legal
money-lending in Britain since usury laws were repealed in the 19th
century. And, in doing so, she has impressed a lot of very influential people.

2. Duncan Hames MP – Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham
After seeing off the well-known ‘Black Farmer’ Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones to
win the Chippenham seat, Duncan Hames has made a good start to his
parliamentary career by winning an appointment as PPS to Sarah Teather
at the Department for Education. His interventions in the House on
education issues have been thoughtful and it seems this is a policy area
where he will continue to make his mark.
Rebecca Harris MP - Conservative MP for Castle Point
The profile of this former A-list parliamentary candidate has no doubt been
helped by her success, only weeks into her parliamentary career, in the
Private Members’ Bill ballot. Coming fourth in the ballot she chose to
present a bill on the perennially debated subject of advancing the clocks to
give the country another hour of daylight. The Bill has secured impressive
media coverage for her and we will be watching to see how she capitalises
on her increased profile in 2011.
Dr Julian Huppert MP - Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge
As the only professional scientist in the new Parliament, Julian Huppert has
had a lot of opportunity to contribute his expertise to debates on funding
for science and research since the election. However, it is in the digital
sphere where he has made the biggest impact, becoming one of the
leading tweeting MPs. This has won him a widespread following from party
activists which bodes well for his future promotion to a party role.
Jesse Norman MP - Conservative MP for Hereford and South
Herefordshire
As a previous director at Policy Exchange and founder of the Conservative
Co-operative Movement, Jesse Norman was always going to be a
vociferous and high profile new MP. The recent publication of his new
book ‘The Big Society: The Anatomy of the New Politics’ has cemented his
reputation as ‘one to watch’. In his book he has gone further than even
Cameron to elucidate the relevance of the Big Society. He has proved
himself to be a solid mind with a commitment to Cameron’s vision, and will
no doubt be rewarded with a ministerial position in the near future.
Rory Stewart MP - Conservative MP for Penrith and the Border
There were always high hopes for this diplomat-come-adventurer following
his election to Parliament. He has in fact shown himself to be a committed
constituency MP, promoting the interests of Penrith and the Border by
campaigning to bring high-speed broadband to this rural area. He has
become a champion for rural communities and digital equality, thus carving
out his own path in Parliament rather than focusing on foreign affairs as
had been expected.
Chuka Umunna MP - Labour MP for Streatham
His appointment as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Labour leader,
Ed Miliband marks Chuka Umunna out as a rising star within the Labour
Party. Meanwhile, he has made a good start in his role on the Treasury
Select Committee. He pursued a number of tough avenues of questioning
when the Chancellor recently appeared before the Committee showing
himself to be a hard-hitting political operator.