OXFORD West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran was heckled while asking her first Prime Minister's Question last week. She explains why she will not allow opposition MPs to put her off.

LAST week I had my first opportunity to ask my first Prime Minister’s Question.

I took the opportunity to raise the concerns of parents in our area around access to the Government’s 30 hours free childcare offer.

Before I could even complete my first sentence I was met with jeering, especially from male Conservative MPs, to such an extent I had to stop and ask if I had made some kind of mistake in protocol.

As it happens, it wasn’t me, it was them.

I have always disliked this kind of Punch and Judy politics.

And from the reaction of my constituents I am not alone.

The reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive, and I appreciate the support.

Fear not, my skin is thick and I am not remotely deterred.

But there is a wider point that worries me which is how much the Government is actually listening to the issue local people are raising.

You see, many parents in Oxford West and Abingdon reported to me that either they couldn’t find a provider to deliver the free childcare, or that they had to pay top ups. That’s neither accessible, nor free.

So my question, raising these issues on behalf of my constituents and asking the Prime Minister to apologise to parents across the country for 'false advertising', was an entirely reasonable one.

In her answer, the Prime Minister has tried to assure me that everything is fine.

They’re so determined to show that they are a strong and stable Government that they can’t admit that there have been problems with the 30 hours free childcare, even though they must know it to be true.

I absolutely support this policy. Anything that can help parents with the cost of childcare I am completely behind.

But I just don’t see why the Government can’t be straight with people.

If there isn’t enough money to go around just say so.

Call it a subsidy and don’t be do misleading. I have always said I want to be a different type of politician and always be straight with people.

I wish the Government would try that. I bet they would be pleasantly surprised by how refreshing it would be.

By coincidence, I’ve come top of the ballot for questions to the Prime Minister at PMQs again this week.

As I write this I am preparing my question: I’ll let you know what happens next.