The New Lib Dem MP Who Got A "Well Done" Text From Sue Gray

Calum Miller, Lib Dem MP for the new Bicester and Woodstock seat, talks to Tali Fraser about Donald Trump, UK riots, and being congratulated by Sue Gray.

Before running for Parliament, Calum Miller had a quick chat with his old boss Nick Clegg – but he won’t divulge the content of the former party leader’s advice.

“It wasn't a sort of sponsorship arrangement,” the new Liberal Democrat MP insists. “He was just enthusiastic and encouraging about me thinking about doing it.”

Miller has lived in the area with his family – wife, Sophie, and four kids – since he joined his old job as chief operating officer and senior fellow in public management at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.

He organises to meet in the The Bell pub, near the stunning Islip village. His time in politics has made him aware of the importance of image and good pictures – even if he’s not yet comfortable with being the focus of them.

“Two of the boys I coach at rugby work on a farm nearby and knowing my luck they’ll come round the corner any minute,” Miller says self-consciously.

Before his university job, he spent 13 years working at various levels of the civil service, from then-cabinet secretary Gus O’Donnell to Clegg’s private secretary during his time as deputy prime minister (the first minister he directly worked for), spanning Labour, Tory and Lib Dem governments. It has left him with friends and former colleagues across the political spectrum.

Sue Gray, now Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, was once Miller’s direct line manager in the Cabinet Office. She texted to congratulate him on becoming an MP: “She definitely didn't get in touch beforehand to wish me well against the Labour candidate. But she did say ‘well done’ afterwards.”

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