Claim 1eed24a6Checked 21 Jul 2026
TrueOn the truth scale
“Sir Alan Haselhurst was the speaker’s predecessor as MP for Saffron Walden for 40 years.”
—Mrs Kemi BadenochConservativeCon / North West Essex·Engagements·03 Jun 2026Factual · historical current chronological
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The claim that Sir Alan Haselhurst was Kemi Badenoch's predecessor as MP for Saffron Walden for 40 years is accurate. Multiple sources confirm Haselhurst served as MP for Saffron Walden from 7 July 1977 (by-election following the death of Peter Kirk) until 3 May 2017 (when Parliament was dissolved for the 2017 general election), approximately 40 years. The BBC's obituary explicitly states: "he was the Conservative MP for Saffron Walden for 40 years from 1977." ITV News was also quoted as saying "Sir Alan Haselhurst steps down after 40 years as MP." Wikipedia confirms Haselhurst was succeeded by Kemi Badenoch, who won the seat at the 2017 general election (8 June 2017). The Bishop's Stortford Independent confirms: "Mrs Badenoch, who took his seat, since renamed North West Essex, in 2017." Additional details from the speech — that Haselhurst served "eight of them in the Lords" and was previously MP for Middleton and Prestwich from 1970 to 1974 — are also corroborated by Wikipedia and UK Parliament records. The claim is accurate with no material qualifications needed.
Sources:
- BBC News, "Former Saffron Walden MP and deputy speaker Alan Haselhurst dies" — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3p95wyrl9o
- Wikipedia, "Alan Haselhurst" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Haselhurst
- UK Parliament, "Parliamentary career for Lord Haselhurst" — https://members.parliament.uk/member/43/career
- Bishop's Stortford Independent, "Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pays tribute to former Saffron Walden MP Alan Haselhurst" — https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/conservative-party-leader-kemi-badenoch-pays-tribute-to-form-9468538/
- Wikipedia, "Saffron Walden (constituency)" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron_Walden_(constituency)
From speech
I echo the Prime Minister’s words on Lance Corporal James Freeman and about the Royal Navy helicopter crash in Devon. I also send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Henry Nowak. The circumstances around Henry’s wrongful arrest and tragic murder must be a wake-up call to the entire country and our institutions that every life matters, and it is the responsibility of everyone in this House to bring people together, not divide them. Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Sir Alan Haselhurst—Lord Haselhurst—who died on Monday. Sir Alan served Parliament for over 50 years, eight of them in the Lords and 40 years as my predecessor as MP for Saffron Walden, while from 1970 to 1974 he was the Member of Parliament for Middleton and Prestwich. He was respected on all sides of this House, and was elected multiple times as your predecessor as Deputy Speaker, before he concluded in the other place. Apart from serving his constituents, Sir Alan’s greatest passion in Parliament and perhaps in life was cricket, as you said, Mr Speaker. He was chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on cricket, a role which he encouraged me to take up and which I graciously declined, telling him I knew absolutely nothing about cricket. However, I think colleagues should know that Sir Alan’s intense lobbying is the reason that Sky Sports can be found on the parliamentary TV network. There is so much to say, but just to let everyone know, he was a good and kind man and he will be very much missed. My thoughts are with his wife Angela, his children Mark, David and Emma, and his grandchildren. May I ask the Prime Minister by how much the welfare bill has risen since he came to office?
Sources opened