"I remember the first time we had him over for dinner," says Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards, reflecting on a "daunting" period upon being elected to sit on Ken Clarke's seat. "After he left my husband turned around to me and said: 'We've just had Ken Clarke round.' We cooked lamb shank for him. It was nice to have him round," she added.
Mrs Edwards superseded Lord Clarke, former father of the House of Commons and political "titan", in the 2019 General Election. Lord Clarke had represented his Rushcliffe constituents since 1970.
This was until a tumultuous period in politics led to his whip being stripped by Boris Johnson's Government. The events at the time were described by Mr Clarke as nothing short of "extraordinary".
