Dr. Phillip Lee: Choosing the Hard Path: A Story of Conscience and Courage from a GP and former Member of Parliament

Dr. Phillip Lee is both a general practice doctor, and also a former Member of Parliament for Bracknell. He served as Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for Victims, Youth and Family Justice (Ministry of Justice) under U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May from July 2016 to June 2018. For almost 20 years he served as both a doctor and politician, until in 2019 he famously crossed the floor of the House of Commons whilst PM Boris Johnson was delivering a statement, to leave the Conservative Party and join the Liberal Democrats over disagreements with the way he felt the Government was handling Brexit. He left Parliament and politics after the December 2019 General Election. Dr Lee continues to work as a doctor in the Southwest of England.In this podcast episode we discuss Dr Lee's journey into medicine and politics, and how having two careers helped him with perspective in each. During his political career as a Member of Parliament, Dr Lee encountered times when his own beliefs and analysis of a situation were in conflict with his Party. He talks us through how he came to these conclusions, and how while under pressure he was able to stay true to his own beliefs and do what he felt was right, knowing that doing so may come at a personal professional cost. We discuss his perspectives on decision making, what qualities he has observed in some world leaders, and what he feels has contributed to his own inner strength of being prepared to take the hard pathway to stay true to himself.Human Factors topics: decision making, communication, standing up for one's own beliefs, courage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.