Plenary Speakers

Sony and Writers’ Guild Award-winning writer and comedian, Mark Steel is best known for his critically acclaimed BBC Radio 4 show Mark Steel’s in Town. He is a regular on BBC One’s **Have I Got News For You** and BBC Radio 4’s **The News Quiz**.

Last year, Mark performed ‘In Town’... in French! Taking, En Ville et en Francais, to theatres in Paris and London.

Mark has presented the BAFTA-nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC Two and has written several acclaimed books, including: Reasons To Be Cheerful and What’s Going On.  He has also written an adaptation of his critically acclaimed stand-up show Who Do I Think I Am for Audible which was released in 2021.

Mark has recently recovered from throat cancer and is currently writing a book about his experiences over this rather tough time which will be due for release in 2025. Mark is back on the radio this year with the 14^th series of Mark Steel’s In Town and he is soon to hit 100 episodes of his hit podcast What the F*** is Going On.

Ginny Bowbrick is a Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust.

She undertook her undergraduate training at Bart's, qualifying in 1989, and subsequently trained in General and Vascular Surgery in the Southeast and London prior to being appointed as a Consultant in 2005.

She is the Head of School of Surgery for Kent, Surrey and Sussex and was elected to Royal College of Surgeons of England Council in 2023.

Diversity and inclusivity are extremely important to her and she was a founding member and the first Chair of the RCS England Pride in Surgery Forum (PRiSM) for LGBTQ+ surgeons and allies.

She is the mother of four children, two of whom are autistic with severe learning disabilities and has been involved in regional and national projects promoting recognition and help for Neurodiverse trainees and better understanding of Autism and Learning Disabilities in patients.

Peter Prinsley is the **Member of Parliament** for Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket, first elected in July 2024.

Peter Prinsley is the Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket, first elected in July 2024. Born in Ilkley, Yorkshire, Peter attended Guisborough Grammar School in Cleveland before studying medicine at the University of Sheffield. He completed his postgraduate surgical training in Yorkshire and London and has been a consultant ENT surgeon in East Anglia since 1996—a role he continues alongside his parliamentary duties.

Peter’s political interests include health, transport, rural affairs, equalities, and regional development in the East of England. He is an active member of several All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs).

He is also a member of the British American Parliamentary Group.

Peter is married to Marian, a retired educational psychologist and former Sheriff of Norwich. Together, they have three children, two grandchildren, and a dog named Elsa. Outside of politics, Peter is an enthusiastic cyclist and enjoys sport, chess, and, until recently, tending to his allotment.

Peter Prinsley ENT
Peter Prinsley MP
How did that happen and what can a Surgeon do in Parliament?

Until 3:30am on 5 July 2024, Peter Prinsley was the senior ENT surgeon at the James Paget Hospital in Norfolk. But in the early hours of that summer morning, it became clear that he’d be trading the scalpel for the pen – and heading to Westminster as the newly elected Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket.

Peter hadn’t just won any election; he had turned one of the country’s safest Conservative strongholds red. Overnight, he found himself thrust into the arcane world of Westminster – a maze of debate, tradition and political intrigue.

Join Peter as he reflects on his first two years in Parliament: from sparring with Nigel Farage to negotiating with ministers, he shares what it’s really like inside the Commons – and why more doctors should follow him into the world of politics.