The internet has changed the way politics is viewed, but the essence of the House of Commons cannot be conveyed through a screen

Some political speeches can hold the attention of MPs – and others fail

I cannot say how much of a privilege it is to have a front-row seat for history. I mean that literally. My usual seat in the press gallery of the House of Commons, number 78, in the corner behind the prime minister and to her left is where I now watch the rules of the British constitution being rewritten.

I have never seen anything like it, and I have seen some great parliamentary moments. My first day in the press gallery, as The Independent’s new political correspondent, was in 1995, when Tony Blair, the leader of the opposition, told John Major there was a difference between them: “I lead my party; he follows his.”

I shall never forget the roar from the packed Labour benches, a deep-throated delight in the smack of firm leadership and a jubilant recognition that they really were on their way back to government.