His campaign turns into a quest to find the largely absentee Labour MP, Sir Stuart Bell, standing for a 7th term. It’s 15 years since he held a constituency surgery, no-one in his office ever answers the phone and he seems to live largely in France.

For Walsh the conclusion is clear; he’s not representing the people of Middlesborough and should be unseated. Yet in the end he’s voted back in, albeit on a low turnout and with a reduced majority.

Shortlist Grierson Awards – Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme
Directed by John Walsh
2011
100 mins