Wirral MP takes on charity tug of war (From Wirral Globe)

Wirral MP takes on charity tug of war

2:45pm Wednesday 13th June 2012 in News By Stephanie Cureton

WIRRAL West MP Esther McVey joined forces with cross-party colleagues for a special tug of war against the House of Lords in aid of charity.

The Macmillan Cancer Support 25th annual event was held on Tuesday raising more than £100,000 for the cause.

And Miss McVey was among those taking part in the match which pitted the House of Commons against the House of Lords, with the MPs being crowned winners.

She said: “Macmillan’s Parliamentary Tug of War gets together politicians of all persuasions to pull together and put their weight behind a great cause. The money raised will mean there’ll be a Macmillan team in the corner of some of the two million people living with cancer, supporting them every step of the way.”

The unique event, which took place in London’s Westminster Abbey’s College Gardens, has been sponsored by Taylor Wimpey since its creation and has raised more than £3.5m since 1987.

Now a highlight in the Westminster social calendar, Macmillan’s Tug of War has attracted a host of participants over the years who have added to the fun, including Sir Jeffery Archer as auctioneer; sports commentator David Coleman compeering the pulls and Baroness Trumpington, as cheerleader extraordinaire.

The Parliamentary match is the highlight of a line-up featuring tugs between rival city firms, the military vs emergency services, Taylor Wimpey vs BAE and this year a media pull between Westminster journalists and bloggers.