Here is the latest in our series of Twenty Questions with members of the Class of 2010...
Rehman Chishti was elected MP for Gillingham and Rainham with a majority of 8,680.
1. What is your earliest political memory? Margaret Thatcher leaving Number 10 for the last time.
2. Complete the sentence: “I’m a Conservative because… I believe in individual freedom and responsibility.”
3. Who is your political hero and why? Emmeline Pankhurst because "she shaped an idea of women for our time; she shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back" (Time Magazine).
4. When did you decide you wanted to become an MP? In my early twenties I decided that I wanted to give something back to a community that had given me so much.
5. What is your reading material of choice? ConservativeHome, the Telegraph, the BBC.
6. Who is your favourite political interviewer/presenter on TV or radio? Sir David Frost (he’s from Gillingham).
7. If you could run any government department, which would it be and why? The Justice Department – as a Barrister I prosecuted, defended, and sat on youth offender panels. The previous Government made legislation for the sake of legislation: in the past 13 years more legislation was passed than in the previous 100 years. Rushed legislation is often poor legislation. We must take steps to simplify the statute book.
8. Which non-Conservative politician do you most admire? Benazir Bhutto – I had the privilege of working with her from 1999 to 2007.
9. Who would you least want to get stuck with in a House of Commons lift? Thinking about it... I always take the stairs.
10. If you were in the US, would you be a Republican or a Democrat? A Republican – I campaigned for John McCain on a visit to the US.
11. What do you enjoy doing to unwind and relax? Playing sport, watching films and spending time with friends and family.
12. What is your favourite book? A Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela’s autobiography.
13. What is your favourite film? The Shawshank Redemption.
14. What is your favourite music? Jazz, RnB, Classical.
15. What would be your ideal meal and where would you eat it? Traditional Italian cuisine - anywhere in Italy!
16. What is your favourite holiday destination? Italy.
17. What do you most want to achieve during your first term in Parliament? I want to represent the people of Gillingham and Rainham to the best of my ability. I will continue to campaign on local issues and champion local causes.
18. Tell us one interesting, unusual or surprising fact about yourself. At school I wanted to be a cricketer – my friend David Masters made it, but I didn’t.
19. Tell us one interesting, unusual or surprising fact about your constituency. HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s flagship, was built in my constituency.
20. Share with us your most amusing story or favourite anecdote from the campaign trail.
I literally ‘burnt a hole’ in my shoes canvassing at elections - a feat that the local media picked up on.
> Previously: Mark Pawsey MP
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