BEING at home in Westerleigh over the summer has allowed me to get into my constituency work and catch up with friends and family.

It has been great to see everybody, and almost everybody has asked me the same questions, so I thought that some Gazette readers might be interested too:

What’s it like being an MP, and do you enjoy it?

The honest answer is that in some ways, it is like a lot of other professions. You wake up, you go into the office, there are some parts of the job you love and some parts that drag, there are some people you get along with, some you don’t.

Of course in other ways, it is like no other line of work; you hold the government to account, you vote on matters of huge importance and deal with very sensitive cases.

I often think the majority of MPs are ordinary people working in extra-ordinary circumstances. I enjoy the work hugely and feel very privileged to be doing it, and more so because I am one of the small number of MPs in any party that represent my home constituency.

Do MPs from different parties get on?

Yes absolutely, you speak to people from all different political parties, especially where there is mutual interest in a specific subject area. I have to confess though, I haven’t made any friends in the SNP yet.

What are you allowed to claim expenses for, and how does it work?

The majority of expenses are office costs, staff costs, travel and accommodation. If I am honest, I live in a state of constant fear about getting something wrong, putting an expense in the wrong column or scanning the wrong receipt.

I check, check and check again before I submit anything and use the ‘Government Procurement Card’, which is effectively a credit card if I need to buy something for the office, because it is the most transparent method.

Has your life changed beyond recognition?

Some parts are different yes, it is a seven day a week job, but like any profession, you have to keep it all in check. I have had the same local friends since, who are by and large still making the same daft jokes, and my family is endlessly supportive.

Are you the youngest MP there, and does that make it more difficult?

The SNP MP Mhairi Black was famously elected before finishing her politics degree, but at 29 I am one of the youngest.

It hasn’t been a problem, probably because I enjoyed a career before politics and feel confident in my contributions - I imagine it must be hard if you are young and have only ever worked in politics.

What is Prime Ministers Questions like inside the chamber?

PMQs is in part, a type of modern-day political duel, testing the knowledge and skill of both leaders.

The first thing you notice is the noise, it is louder inside the chamber than it appears on television and the roar from the backbenches is supposed to be an effort to support the leader. It is a world away from running supermarkets.

So those are the answers to some of the most common questions I have been asked over the last few weeks, but as ever, if there is anything I can help with, please just get in touch; luke.hall.mp@parliament.uk.