Tom Brake talks life after Parliament following election defeat

But for some MPs this was the reality after December’s general election.

After 22 years representing the constituency of Carshalton and Wallington, Tom Brake was one of those who lost his seat.

On December 12, new Conservative MP Elliot Colburn won with 20,822 votes, a 629 majority.

We spoke to Tom about life after parliament and what’s next for him.

At the moment the 57-year-old is still keeping busy packing up his local office, which is due to close on February 29.

There are open cases which either need to be sent back to residents or on to his successor.

And it is not just the former-MP who will have to look for new work, his five members of staff will be made redundant when the office closes.

“At the moment I am still involved in winding down the office, that is still taking up some of my time,” he said.

“There are five members of staff who have also got to go and find employment, so it is tough for everyone involved.”

As for his own employment, he is not yet sure what he will do.

And although he plans to stay involved in politics he said he will not be seeking re-election in Carshalton and Wallington or standing as an MP elsewhere.

“But I am not at retirement age yet so I need to seek employment,” added Tom.

“Options I am considering are campaigns with a focus on the environment or transport or possibly going into boards of different public bodies.

“I am on gardening leave, which does mean I have been tidying up our garden.

“I must say a burden has been lifted. Being an MP was very much a 24/7 vocation. It is permanently involved and in the spotlight and so now I am able to spend more time with my family.

“For the first time ever I’ve cooked five days in a row for them and so far they haven’t refused to eat it.”

Tom lives in Wallington with his wife and grown up children, a 22-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son who have only ever known their dad to be an MP.

While the general election result came as a shock to some, Tom said that every election has been a close contest.

He said: “Although I was an MP for 22 years this seat has always been a marginal seat, I was re-elected six times but each time with a very small majority. It had always been touch and go whether I would hold the seat.

“It wasn’t as much of a shock to me as it was to other people but that does not mean it was any less disappointing.”

After finding out he would no longer be an MP Tom went home to sleep for a couple of hours before heading to his residents’ surgery, which already had booked appointments.

And it didn’t stop there, on Saturday morning he was handing out prizes for his annual Christmas card competition.

“Another thing I decided to do was go out locally to do my shopping in Saninsbury’s as I’ve always done for many decades, I knew there would be people who wanted to speak to me,” Tom added.

“Rather than postpone it, I faced the music to speak to people. It was overwhelmingly positive.

“I’ll miss most the contact that being an MP gives to you with people from all walks of life and being able to help people in all different circumstances.”

In his 22 years in the public eye, one of the main things that has changed has been social media.

“It is very hard to know what messages are being put out by the other parties. In the past political parties would have relied on putting out leaflets,” he said.

“Online there is both the best and worst of humanity, frankly. I tend not to delve into the comments that come below posts because I find it depressing.”

Tom decided he wanted to be an MP in his early 20s after first getting involved in politics as a teenager.

“In my late teenage years Margaret Thatcher was our Prime Minister. The political spectrum was very polarised and I was one of the people who wanted to campaign against her,” he said.

“I was in my early 20s, I thought I could shout and throw things at the TV or join a party that was trying to challenge things.”

Now, he wishes Elliot Colburn the best for his new role, he is confident that the Liberal Democrats will take Carshalton and Wallington again in the future.

“I wish him well and he is local so he understands some of the local issues but he will follow the party line and I don’t think that’s always the best for the area,” he said.

“My Liberal Democrat successor will be taking on a majority of just 629 and I am confident that with a good campaign it can be won.”

And while Tom is still deciding where to work now, he has ruled out doing an Ed Balls with a Strictly Come Dancing appearance.

“I am not expecting the offer, if anything I am as badly co-ordinated as Ed Balls was,” he said.

“If I was to partake I would be an Ann Widdecombe. It wouldn’t be graceful.”

But Tom said he has been dusting off his bucket list which includes running the London Marathon, which he would like to do in 2021.