Chris Kelly MP answers ConHome's Twenty Questions for the Class of 2010

Here is the latest in our series of Twenty Questions with members of the Class of 2010...

Chris Kelly was elected MP for Dudley South with a majority of 3,856.

1. What is your earliest political memory? The return of our victorious expeditionary forces from the Falklands War.

2. Complete the sentence: “I’m a Conservative because… I believe passionately in nationhood, freedom, democracy, security, community, capitalism, choice, enterprise and deregulation."

3. Who is your political hero and why? Margaret Thatcher, because she saved our country from socialism.

4. When did you decide you wanted to become an MP? In late 2005 as I finished working for Michael Howard, who was about to pass the baton of the leadership onto David Cameron..

5. What is your reading material of choice? ConservativeHome every day, naturally. Centre right newspapers, namely the Telegraph and the Mail. The Express & Star website and newspaper.

6. Who is your favourite political interviewer/presenter on TV or radio? Jeremy Paxman.

7. If you could run any government department, which would it be and why? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The new Government's commerce centred approach to international relations is absolutely essential -- I would be very happy to be involved further down the line.

8. Which non-Conservative politician do you most admire? My friend Frank Field, one of the most courteous and friendly people in British politics.

9. Who would you least want to get stuck with in a House of Commons lift? Let's not go there...!

10. If you were in the US, would you be a Republican or a Democrat? Republican.

11. What do you enjoy doing to unwind and relax? Swimming lengths followed by the sauna. Running. Playing  tennis or squash.

12. What is your favourite book? The Road to Serfdom by Hayek.

13. What is your favourite film? Anything with Robert Pattinson.

14. What is your favourite music? Simple - The Beatles. I could take a degree in Beatles trivia.

15. What would be your ideal meal and where would you eat it? Fresh fish in a Mediterranean costal resort.

16. What is your favourite holiday destination? The ski slopes in the Alps.

17. What do you most want to achieve during your first term in Parliament? I want to provide the residents of Dudley South with an excellent service as their Member of Parliament and continue to be as open and accessible as I was during my three years as the PPC. I want to achieve fairer funding from Whitehall for my residents in the Dudley Borough, particularly in comparison to neighbouring Black Country metropolitan boroughs.

18. Tell us one interesting, unusual or surprising fact about yourself. Both of my grandfathers were immigrants into this country (one from Ireland, one from Cyprus).

19. Tell us one interesting, unusual or surprising fact about your constituency. Dudley South has an extremely high concentration of SMEs and, in The Pensnett Estate, has the largest secure industrial/trading estate in Europe. We need to trade our way out of recession and I'm confident that, with the supportive policies of the new Government, the existing (and yet to be formed) businesses of Dudley South will do their bit.

20. Share with us your most amusing story or favourite anecdote from the campaign trail. Realising that three years of hard work had paid off on the evening of the general election when, whilst knocking up pledges, I didn't have chance to introduce myself - residents were introducing themselves to me and reciting my name back to me along with assurances that they had already been out and voted Conservative.

> Previously: Dan Byles MP