Bedroom panic button and a pay cut: Dame Tracey Crouch reveals what it's really like being an MP

If you've ever spent your morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each Monday, we speak to someone from a different profession to discover what it's really like. This week we chat to Dame Tracey Crouch, Conservative MP for Chatham and Aylesford in Kent from 2010 to 2024.

It's impossible to say precisely how many hours I worked... because every day, week and month was different. It's a real piece-of-string question. Some days I would be at my desk at 7am and finish gone midnight, but others it could be more 8am until 6pm. I would do work almost all weekends. There is no job description for being an MP; you end up being a cross between spokesperson, social worker, international diplomat, council worker, teacher, manager, employee - the list goes on.

My pay when I was first elected in 2010 was £65,000... I took a pay cut to be an MP. It now stands at around £94,000, which is probably reasonable.

When MPs lose office, they get a resettlement payment... but the amount varies depending on length of service. The pension has been changed. It was final salary but is now a career average - this is similar to other public sector pension reforms. MPs who have held their seat for two years or more are entitled to twice their statutory redundancy entitlement when they leave office. Up to £30,000 of this is tax-free.

You might think it is, but it's not difficult mentally... to be in a job where you know you could effectively get sacked every five years. Somebody had to be "sacked" for you to get the job!

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I didn't claim many benefits... such as travel, because I represented a commuter constituency and didn't see why I could claim my travel to work, but my constituents couldn't. Ultimately these are personal decisions. The expenses MPs can claim for include costs to employ staff, run an office, have accommodation in either their constituency or in London, travel and personal security.

Being an MP affects your family massively... My house became a fortress with security.

It is hard to maintain a normal social life... but I am lucky that most of my friends knew me before I was elected, so could keep me grounded.

I worried about personal safety all the time... Female MPs get more threats of violence than their male counterparts. We had panic alarms in the bedroom. That is not something you can ignore.

The best route to take to become an MP is... start in the grassroots movement of a political party - get talking to people in the community, understand their challenges. It is important to care about people.

The traits you need to be an MP are... compassion and a desire to work hard.

The worst trait I have seen in bad MPs is... not understanding the concerns of people in their constituencies.

The most annoying part of the job is that... it's a fairly thankless role.

If there is a sense of elitism in parliament... it goes pretty quickly - it is a very levelling and equalising job.

I have no idea what MPs' nights out are like... I rarely went out out

Read more in the series:
Secrets of a London cabbie
Long days, big salaries: Life as a divorce lawyer

The biggest money concerns constituents brought up with me were... simply making ends meet. The cost of living crisis was very real for people on middle and low incomes.

My biggest frustration with today's political discourse is... it is too black and white. There is very little understanding of the multiple shades of grey or nuance.

I joined the Conservative Party because... it is a broad church. I get frustrated that people forget this.

When I was an MP, the decision I was most proud of was... resigning on a point of principle over the delays to the implementation of the stake cut to fixed odds betting terminals.

My biggest career regret was... the early election meant I had unfinished items on my to-do list.

I'm not sure I ever saw real hate between MPs from different parties... Most things in parliament are done on a cross-party basis.