A new London MP has told how as a child he had a stammer which meant that some days he could not even say his own name.
Labour’s David Pinto-Duschinsky, who won Hendon from the Tories at the General Election by just 15 votes, the smallest majority in the country, told MPs in his maiden speech about his previous speaking challenges.
“You may have detected by now that I have a slight stammer,” he said.
“As a child, I could not even say my own name some days.
“Mind you, there are still people who have that trouble today. It is not their fault; it is part-Ashkenazi, part-Sephardi and wholly unpronounceable.“
He continued: “But I know that I am not alone in overcoming a stammer: Bevan had one and overcame it by reciting the poetry of William Morris. In my case it was not poetry but the NHS that came to the rescue.
“Dedicated NHS speech therapists worked with me for years, which means that I can talk to you, that I could stand up in class, stand for Parliament and be here today.
“They gave me my voice so I can now give voice to others, and I am determined to pay that forward by fighting for world-class NHS speech therapy for those who need it.”
Former Cabinet minister Ed Balls, now a presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, is among politicians who have also spoken out about their stammer and how they have addressed it.
Mr Pinto-Duschinsky also told Parliament the harrowing story of how his family arrived in Britain as he praised London’s diversity.
“Small margins run as a theme in our family,” he told MPs.
“2024 is the 80th anniversary of my father being smuggled out of the Munkács ghetto in what is today Ukraine.
“In April 1944, my infant father was herded, along with the rest of the Jewish population of the town and surrounding countryside, into the crowded, squalid ghetto, with thousands jammed into barely more than a handful of city blocks.
“But on 5 May 1944, a Christian woman pretending to be his mother spirited him out, just days before over 28,000 people, including, unfortunately, many members of my own family, were put on trains to Auschwitz, never to return.
“Small margins...small margins and the kindness of strangers.”
The new MP explained further: “As a child refugee, my father landed in London and was given great opportunities by this great country. His story inspires me every day and reminds me of the importance of compassion, courage and the bonds that connect us all.
“As I talk to people in Hendon, I hear so many similar stories, stories of refuge and rebirth, of contribution and belonging.
“Our Jewish community; our Somali community; our Afghan community; our Iranian community; our Tamil community; those who have recently arrived from Hong Kong; our Nepalese community, many of whom served so valiantly in the Gurkha regiment; our Filipino community, who do so much for the NHS; our Gujarati community—the list goes on.
“There are so many wonderful communities enriching this, the greatest of cities.”
