MP who ousted Liz Truss speaks of family tragedy

Terry Jermy spoke of how his experience of the NHS during his father's health struggles inspired him to become an MP

The MP who ousted the former prime minister, Liz Truss, from her seat of South West Norfolk has revealed how a "nightmare" family tragedy prompted him to run for Parliament.

Labour's Terry Jermy used his maiden speech in the House of Commons on Monday to highlight "how bad things had become" for the NHS following the experiences of his father, Trevor, who died aged 65 in 2023.

In his speech, he spoke of the pressures he saw the health service face while his father needed help after a "life-altering" stroke in 2013 and when he later had pneumonia and Covid.

Jermy said his father had been an "accomplished" welder fabricator and "there was not much my dad couldn't fix".

Liz Truss lost her South West Norfolk seat to Jermy at the general election on 4 July

The Labour MP, 39, was born in Thetford, Norfolk, and previously served as a councillor for the town on Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council.

He told his fellow MPs how his father had not had any warning signs before his major stroke.

"The physical aspects were painfully easy to see and difficult for a man so used to using his hands, but there was psychological damage too," he said.

"As a family, we saw up close and over a number of years the awfulness of the current process for applying for personal independence payments, dehumanising work capability assessments and how little we as a country value the contribution of carers.

"Disabled people and their families continue to come under repeated attack, most recently in Norfolk with changes to the minimum income guarantee."

Further stroke

Jermy, who delivered one of the biggest shock wins at the general election, revealed how his father had struggled to get a GP appointment before eventually being sent to A&E with pneumonia and then later contracting Covid.

Trevor was put in a medically-induced coma and the family spent two months visiting him for an hour each day in full personal protective equipment in West Suffolk Hospital's intensive care unit.

It was then discovered his father had experienced another stroke while in the coma and he died on 29 January 2023.

During his speech, Jermy spoke about the extent of what he had witnessed.

"I saw ambulances routinely queuing up, the accident and emergency department always busy, and the hospital buildings looking old and tired," he said.

"I saw how few staff were available during the week, and at weekends the situation was worse. I saw how his catheter bag was left for longer than it should have been.

"I saw the impact of this whole nightmare on my mother and the rest of our family.

"It was at that point that I decided enough was enough and, if I could, I should try to do something about it."