Summary
Politicians are at the heart of our democracy but it is support staff who keep Parliament ticking over. Jacky Hyams met 56-yearold Derek Garrett, one of the vital craft-and maintenance team WHEN you tell people you work in Parliament, they naturally want to hear about the politicians. Maintenance people are sometimes needed to work in the Prime Minister's office, but I can't say I've seen much of Mr Blair apart from the occasional fleeting glimpse in the corridor.
There are some people I've never seen at all, such as Gordon Brown and Michael Howard: I don't recall having walked past Mr Howard in all the years I've been here.See the full content of this document
Extract
Order in the House ; Parliament
But I did get to chat to Maggie Thatcher during her era. I did some work in her offices and, surprisingly, despite her Iron-Lady image, she was quite friendly, not in the least bit aloof. A lot of people here say I'm easy to talk to: I'm not really intimidated by powerful people. One person I admire tremendously is Ton...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
