Red_Historian

Not op but I worked in parliament for a shadow front bencher so I will try and give you an answer. It honestly depends on the MP. Mine was good and knowing what they did not know and taking my advice on policy. Others would have very set views on things.

They key is that particularly with more niche issues the staffers have time to research the issue and can very much lead the MP the the decision they want, the important thing is for the MP to have staffers they trust to make the right decision for them as well. However if there is an issue that the MP is passionate about then it can be hard to dissuade them of its merits even if presented with the evidence.

I have worked in parliament previously. Honestly don't know anything about the MPs other than what you hear rumoured in the bars, although almost nothing someone says in S&S is true. However among staffers I have seen quite a bit of a drug scene. Not sure it gets buried more that nobody is looking at the staffers late at night when it happens.

Central lobby late at night when it is quiet is genuinely amazing. Sports and Social is the dingiest bar in Central London and its great. But nothing beats Westminster Hall. It's the oldest bit of the estate and it has the most amazing wooden beams holding up the roof. Genuinely can't wait until the refurb work is finished so that place can look as amazing as it did before.

Not OP but I have worked in parliament before so I'll see if I can help. Feel free to message me if there is any other advice you would like. Basically there are two ways to get into a job in parliament. The first is to work for your local party volunteering and gain experience that way. A lot of MPs will offer work experience or internships only to people that have done the work for their party locally or if you are one of their constituents. It's fairly common for internships to become permanent roles if you work hard, although it does mean that you would potentially be working for free for a time.

The second way is to get relevant work experience, I was a civil servant before becoming a staffer. Then you apply for the roles that are advertised on w4mpjobs.org. You will find quite a few roles both in parliament and constituency offices on that website and whilst most don't require that you have done anything from point 1 it certainly doesn't harm you if you have a history with the party. Not least because I quiet word from a fellow MP goes much further than an amazing reference from some other industry.

Just to add to that as someone who was made redundant after the last election alot of people might start as a staffer in parliament but move to permanent roles for their party as these are less likely to be lost after elections and allows you to continue to shit post on social media dank memes about Boris. That said you are right the roles are massively underpaid for the hours and the stress involved in it. I mean by the time I left my role I had multiple constituents with restraining orders because they had threatened my MP and their staff.