Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, has been named Conservative MP of the Year at the annual awards held at Speakers House in the Palace of Westminster.
The GP-turned-MP won the prestigious award after being nominated by members of his constituency and blind-judged independently by an expert panel.
Since becoming Bosworth’s Member of Parliament in December 2019, Dr Evans has raised the challenges faced by rural communities, campaigned to improve poor relationships with body image among young people and is educating people on Parliament and politics using TikTok.
Earlier this year, after speaking with farmers in his constituency who say the best way to support them is to buy British food, Dr Luke Evans wrote an open letter – co-signed by 121 cross-Party MPs – calling for supermarkets to have a ‘Buy British’ section on their websites. Morrisons have recently become the UK’s first major supermarket to launch a ‘British’ section following the Bosworth MP’s campaign.
For the last three years Dr Evans has campaigned on body image following his work as a GP, where he saw “first-hand the negative impact that social media platforms and false advertising can have on a person’s relationship with their body.” Since launching his campaign, companies, charities and influencers, such as Marks and Spencer, Boohoo Group, Boots and Dove, have undertaken Dr Evans’ voluntary Body Image Pledge and committed to not digitally alter a person’s body proportions in any direct imagery.
In the citation for the award, one of the most notable comments was Dr Evans’ work to educate people about the traditions and processes within the Parliamentary system. His videos have received over one million likes and the hashtag, #MPlife, which was started by Evans, has been viewed over 10 million times. Videos include how to ask a topical question to what it’s like to sit on a Select Committee, as well as tips for public speaking and how to understand online voting record websites such as ‘TheyWorkForYou’.
Dr Evans was selected as Patchwork’s joint-Newcomer MP of the Year in 2020 for his work for constituents and community organisations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, said “It’s humbling to be named Conservative MP of the Year by the Patchwork Foundation, given there is so much good work carried out up and down the country by my Conservative colleagues.
“I’m pleased to be able to use my position as Bosworth’s MP to try and make a difference, be it on raising the issue of body image among young people, the challenges facing rural agricultural communities – such as ours – which are often overlooked and, finally, educating people on the ins and outs of Parliament.
“I would like to thank Patchwork for their recognition and the important work they do. And thank you to my team who support me in trying to make a difference. This job isn’t about awards; it’s about making a difference, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to receive one!”
