THE new Labour MP for Basingstoke, Luke Murphy, visited staff at The AA in Basing View. 

During the visit, at Fanum House, on Wednesday, August 14, Mr Murphy met with Edmund King, AA president and Lorna Lee, AA head of campaigns.

They discussed The AA’s evolution over almost 120 years and the close association with Basingstoke for the last 54 years. 

Mr Murphy was interested hearing about the modern AA and ESG commitments to net zero by 2035, connected cars, road infrastructure and the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Ms Lee outlined some of the key campaigns led by the AA Trust such as Think Bikes,  graduated licences and current problems over the driving test backlog.

READ MORE: AA commits to future in Basingstoke after signing contract on new headquarters

Luke Murphy at The AA (Image: The AA) On local issues, the move from Fanum House to ‘Plant’ was explained and a request made whether the local bus loop up Basing View could be re-instated.

The team then meet the patrols of year, Chris Wood and Max Lamond, outside and were given a comprehensive show and tell tour of two new fully electric recovery vehicles and the latest AA patrol van.

Mr Murphy asked about the most common breakdowns for both electric and petrol/diesel vehicles and was told the top third of breakdowns were very similar as they related to the 12-volt battery and tyre problems.

He was also interviewed by Gareth Jones and talked about the importance of The AA to Basingstoke life and the economy and his interest in The AA’s initiatives on net zero and road safety.

Mr Murphy said: "I was delighted to visit The AA's HQ here in the heart of Basingstoke and to discuss their ongoing commitment to our town. I was also pleased to be able to congratulate Chris and Max on winning the patrols of the year and hear more about their work.

"The team at The AA have made and will continue to make a vital contribution to Basingstoke and some of the big policy issues that local people care about. We had positive discussions about how the new government can tackle potholes and upgrade our roads; how to make progress in the rollout of electric vehicles; and how to improve road safety.

"I look forward to working with Edmund, Lorna, and the whole team at The AA on these issues in the months and years ahead."