Sleep

It’s extremely important to me. I’ve read a lot recently about how bad not sleeping is for your health. Unfortunately, I’m always up by 6am, no matter what time I go to bed, and I’m lucky to get four uninterrupted hours. Before going to bed, I wrap my hair and have a cup of camomile tea. I am an avid reader: I have to keep building new shelves for all my books. I should really give some away, but I let my staff borrow whatever they like, which is nice enough, isn’t it? I’m really engaged with books by women and young black British authors at the moment, from the fantastic Slay In Your Lane to Afua Hirsch’s Brit (ish) and my good friend Shami Chakrabarti’s Of Women. My summer reading list includes Akala’s Natives, and JJ Bola’s No Place to Call Home.

Eat

I am a type 2 diabetic, so I have to be careful about food. My general approach is to avoid eating rubbish, although the jury is out on exactly what rubbish is. The chaotic parliamentary day makes regular meals difficult, so my staff have started scheduling meal breaks in my diary. They also stuff snacks in my handbag alongside my briefing notes – mini Bounty bars, granola bars, nuts and ginger sweets. Parliament has lots of cafeterias but the Terrace is the only one that does scrambled eggs in the morning, so that’s a winner. I enjoy cooking Jamaican staples such as jerk chicken, rice and peas. I made that on Celebrity Come Dine With Me in 2011 and someone told me seasoning the chicken the night before was cheating! It’s not cooking, but my rum punch does involve chopping fruit and it’s quite epic.

Work

I’m currently working on Labour’s immigration policy. My maiden speech in parliament was on an immigration bill and, sadly, 31 years later I could give an almost identical speech. My days are as long as a piece of string. The secret is having efficient and effective staff; one wrong diary entry can mess up your entire day. I check my emails right up until bedtime; it’s impossible not to in my position.

Family

I wish I spent more time with my family. I try to invite them to anything in parliament they might be interested in. I am a single mother of an only child. My son doesn’t like it when I talk about him, so I won’t.

Fun

I relax by hanging out with friends; laughter is the best medicine. If we have a late start in parliament, I’ll stroll around an exhibition first thing. I also love the theatre and gardening. Rest and relaxation are essential, so it’s important that people recognise when I’m off duty and respect my privacy. Even Diane Abbott needs a break!