Ribble Valley's Nigel named as a top 'responsive' MP

Today it published its first ‘People-Power Index’ ranking former MPs according to how they listened to and engaged with their constituents over the last two years.

Mr Evans comes in at ninth in the list of 650.

Rossendale and Darwen Conservative and Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry is ranked 40th.

Labour’s Kate Hollern, party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s political aide who is standing again in Blackburn, is 71st on the list.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Stephenson, who represented Pendle, is one place behind at 72nd. Julie Cooper, Labour candidate again in Burnley, came 143rd.

Graham Jones, Labour candidate in Hyndburn which he has represented since 2010, is ranked 387th,

The Index was calculated using ten data sources from the last Parliament which measured the following, in priority order: an MP’s availability to their constituents online, by holding advice surgeries in their local area and employing a caseworker; their participation in Parliament by voting and how often an they raised issues from their constituency in the Commons; and how they brought attention to priority political issues by discussing them in Parliament.

Mr Evans said: "I am delighted. I try to stay in constant touch with my constituents including running a annual summer travelling surgery visiting more than 35 towns and villages.”

His Liberal Democrat rival Chantelle Seddon said: “Mr Evans may mention the Ribble Valley a lot in the Commons but he frequently refers to 43 per cent of his constituents as ‘Remoaners’ so he clearly doesn’t listen to them.”

Kajal Odedra, UK executive director of Change.org, said: “Unlike most jobs, there’s no job description for being an MP. So for the MPs putting themselves forward again, and when we’re looking at candidates to see who’s best for the job, how are we judging what a ‘good’ MP looks like?

“We’ve judged that being a ‘good’ MP is about openness and responsiveness to constituents.”