It was around quarter past midday when Damian Hinds gave a big wincing ‘oooh’, like he was drawing his breath to blow out the candles on a sizeable cake.

Admittedly, a fair few of the non-Labour MPs reacted in a similar way after the Prime Minister claimed the tractor tax hadn’t affected farmers that much.

Welcome to Prime Minister’s Question Time.

The Post & Herald is here in the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, May 21, because we’re spending the day with the Honourable Member for East Hampshire.

Before I go into the nitty gritty of the average day of an MP – spoiler alert, there isn’t really an average day – I’ve got to tell you a bit more about PMQs given Mr Hinds and his team were so keen for me to witness one.

The packed public gallery is at the opposite end to the speaker and overhangs part of the chamber, so you can see both leaders, the gaggle of Reform MPs and Ed Davey (just).

It feels gladiatorial from this angle, although its famed raucousness seems a bit muted. Maybe it’s the dividing glass wall, or maybe there’s not as much to shout about.

Even the Labour backbenchers quickly shut their trap when speaker Lindsay Hoyle asks which one of them he’s going to chuck out first.

There’s the usual questions about immigration, a possible u-turn over winter fuel payments, and by 12.20pm, gaps are starting to appear in the blue wall.

I notice the faces from our patch. Jeremy Hunt sits four rows from the front, closer to the speaker than the leader of the opposition, while Farnham & Bordon MP, Gregory Stafford, is behind Kemi and seems very keen. Perhaps irked his question in the previous Northern Ireland debate wasn’t asked, he bobs up after every question is asked, and is overlooked every time. Pour soul, maybe next time.

“When ministers visit from other countries they really like coming here and seeing this,” said Mr Hinds a few hours later.

“People do say it’s childish and it’s difficult to defend sometimes but one thing you can say with confidence is you won’t get away with it if you don’t know the answer.

“It can be a bit rough around the edges but it serves us quite well. It’s all good-humoured and it would be really dull if everyone stood up and said a speech.”

Fifteen years ago this month, Damian became the MP for East Hampshire. It was a case of second time lucky having unsuccessfully stood for the Greater Manchester seat of Stretford and Urmston in 2005.

So he’s sat through a few PMQs in his time. He was in the corner for last week’s session, having yet to find a favourite spot on the opposition side of the house.

Damian is lucky to have an office in the heart of the Palace of Westminster, with MPs being split between four sites. The others are Portcullis House, which is directly linked to the Palace via a tunnel, and the Norman Shaw buildings (north and south).

He's had several offices in his time, but this Hogwarts-like room is by far the best.

He said: “It’s by far the nicest one we’ve had.

“From our point of view the real advantage is that I can go from a debate to here in a minute. It makes such a difference.”

Inside is a huge whiteboard, listing a plethora of ‘to do’ jobs, campaigns and timings.

There’s two bookshelves, although it’s stressed to me that they’re not all his and some have been gifted. Call Me Dave is there, but no sign of anything by Boris.

Every week will begin here around 9.30am on a Monday. Damian and his team – Victoria Mackenzie, senior parliamentary advisor, and Lucy Lee, parliamentary researcher – will go through the week ahead and make plans, dividing their time between constituency, party and parliamentary matters.

MPs get a daily listing with today’s main business starting at 11.30am with oral questions about Northern Ireland in the Commons before PMQs.

Damian briefly chatted afterwards in the lobby with an East Hampshire student called Tom who is interested in politics before having lunch and joining the ‘Opposition Day Debate: Business and the Economy’.

He spoke about business rates and the “ill-conceived” tractor tax in a typically animated performance, reacting derisively to claims that business rates have gone down.

Constituency matters still account for around two thirds of MP work, but there is some crossover, as local matters are influenced by national policy. Broadband coverage, especially in rural East Hampshire, is probably the most common email subject. Housing targets and the plans to pump treated wastewater into the emerging Havant Thicket reservoir are also frequent topics.

Damian’s office has been speaking to worried residents in Froyle as their landlines are being switched off, so emails to ministers and providers will be sent.

Keeping on top of the inbox can be a Sisyphean job. Some emails will be from constituents while others will be from party whips, campaigners and countless more.

“There’s quite a lot of overlap between constituency work and parliament work,” said Damian.

“Doing the debate today, I’ve been talking about business and the economy but I’ve also talked about local businesses and farming, for instance.

“The biggest thing in an MP’s life is email. You get some emails from the party but the majority is split between casework and policy correspondence.

“It’s difficult to be precise about how much time is allocated to constituency and parliamentary matters but every Friday is a constituency day.”

Parliamentary life has changed greatly since Damian became MP with the murders of Jo Cox and David Amess having a big effect. Security must be confirmed for even the smallest public meeting, while there’s an acceptance that people’s trust and faith in MPs has waned amid episodes like the expenses scandal and Partygate.

Damian said: “Politics has long had a problem with trust.

“I think around the world there has been a general erosion of trust, like in the way people get their information.

“Have I ever wondered why I’m still doing this? Oh god, yes, but don’t we all?

“There were difficult, difficult times and there was no getting away from it,” he says in referring to the last five years. And what did he really think of Boris?

“I resigned from his government, so I think that tells you everything you need to know.”

And on his voting record and toeing the party line: “You accept you have your debates in private and when you go to the floor collective responsibility means you side or not.

“There might be things you question but if there’s something I’d be morally against I wouldn’t side with it.

“Politics is a vocation. There have been downsides, trust me, but I’ve never complained about the job because it’s the most immense honour and privilege to represent the people of East Hampshire in parliament and I love it.”

And if a week is a long time in politics, how does 15 years feel?

He said: “In someways it feels like a lifetime, but in other ways I feel like it’s flown by. But I honestly think I’ve been very blessed and lucky.”