Interview
12th December 2023
12
News Team, Molly Warner & with Parliamentary Candidate
With a general election campaign heading our way in 2024, News Editor Molly Warner and News Senior Writer Jamie Bryson spoke to the Labour Parliamentary candidate for the Norwich North constituency, Alice Macdonald. While the UEA campus stands in Norwich South (the seat currently held by Labour Clive Lewis MP), half of Norwich - including an increasing number of UEA students and staff - live and work in Norwich North. As a ‘swing seat’ (closely fought parliamentary seats between two different parties), Ms Macdonald hopes to overturn incumbent Conservative Chloe Smith’s marginal majority of 10% (or around 4000 votes). With this in mind, we discuss personal principles, party politics, and the increasing mistrust in our central political system. What values and experiences make you stand out from the crowd, and what made you choose to stand for The Labour Party in Norwich North? I’ve been a Labour Party member for a long while now, and I think Labour does continue to stand up for progressive values and for a better society. This is ultimately why I joined and why I’m standing for the Labour Party. In terms of my own values and experiences, I think it’s really important that we’ve got politicians and people putting themselves forward from all walks of life - [politicians] that people really identify with. I did some work at the Labour Party with Harriet Harmen championing women’s rights. I was a local councillor in London, where I had a brief that included opening new libraries, which was a brilliant and real ‘Labour’ achievement. Then, I spent most of my career in the international charity sector. I’ve worked for organisations like Save the Children and with the United Nations. Here, I’ve seen the challenges in fighting poverty and inequality. The main reason why I’m putting myself forward is that politics is ultimately what changes things. Whether it’s International Development - you don’t change that unless you get the right leaders in countries who really care about the fate of their populations and are prepared to take action as a counsellor; or with local public services - if you don’t have a government that prioritises investing in local services, there’s always a limit to what you can do. Furthermore, I
meet so many peoplewho’ve been on the housing waiting list for so long... there are thousands in that situation in Norwich. We need that action at the top. At the end of the day, I feel like it’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and when you see things getting worse and worse in the UK - fundamental poverty and inequality - that’s why I really want to really focus my efforts on this role. The Labour Party is really focusing on its five missions - Clean British energy, the highest economic growth in the G7, securing the future of the NHS, providing opportunity for all and fighting for safer streets. We are going to have an election in 2024 (unless they hold on until January 2025), so it’s key we set this out clearly. And why Norwich North? Well, I’m from Norfolk - I grew up in West Norfolk. My mum was a leader of the local West Norfolk Council when I was growing up, so I also saw locally what Labour could do in Norfolk when in power. Ultimately, I love Norwich and Norfolk it’s the area I’m really passionate about.
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Get Britain building again •
Switch on Great British Energy
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Get the NHS back on its feet •
Take back our streets
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Break down barriers to opportunity
What could you contribute to rebuilding essential trust in politics from the people of Norwich? I think you can see that in the last few weeks with the COVID inquiry how we’ve had ‘government by WhatsApp’ and some really awful language being used. Personally, I believe in both individual and collective responsibility in how we restore trust in politics. If I were elected, it’s really important that I’m visible, accountable, and accessible to the people I would represent. Some of that is just making sure you’re updating people regularly on what you’re doing and holding constituency surgeries that people can access. But it’s really all about delivering for
people, and I think I think the worst thing politicians can do over promise and underdeliver. We have to be realistic about what we can and can’t do, and I think people really appreciate that honesty...so I think individually, there’s a lot that you can do there.
“What will ultimately
restore trust in politics... is that services and
“The Labour Party website details how it wants to devolve Education out of Westminster in order to “join up jobs and trainign with colleges and university”
people’s lives are
positively changed” I think collectively, when we do have to see changes to the system, there are ‘the Nolan principles’ of public life that all politicians should be upholding and we haven’t seen that be the case in recent years. That’s why we need we do need some reform across the system, but it’s everyone’s individual responsibility, to live up to those values. I think what will ultimately restore trust in politics - or one of the key things is that services and people’s lives are positively changed, and they see that it’s politics that makes that difference. I was approached by a woman recently who said she needed an emergency operation; she’d been told she’d have to wait for 18 months for an emergency operation. If you don’t see the services that are meant to serve you working at all, then no wonder people lose trust in politics. And that’s why for me, it’s so fundamental that we get a Labour government so that we can start to deliver things that will make a real difference in people’s lives. Could you outline one Higher Education policy proposed by Labour, and suggest how this could actively improve life for our students if it’s elected to government in 2024? As mentioned, Labour has set out five missions for the government, and one of those is breaking down barriers to opportunity, which is really focused on education. I do think we have to look holistically at our aim to have an education system that genuinely works for every child and young person. With this in mind, we’ll be looking really broadly at how you break down this glass ceiling which stops so many young people from advancing. UEA is a brilliant university.
I remember coming here for a science fair back when I was 13 or 14. We’ve got such an amazing institution in Norwich, and we have to value our institutions and work with them. So I know that’s not one policy, but I think it’s important that it’s about a holistic approach to education that starts right from the early years, all the way through and continues through to adult learning as well. How would Labour make student housing more affordable, and will it make the aspiration of home ownership an achievable reality for graduates? Housing is so important, and I know in certain areas of Norwich North, there are more and more students living here. I think there are a number of areas we have to look at. First, we have to get Britain building again. We need more affordable and social housing, and Labour has said we would build 1.5 million homes within the first time of a Labour government (5 years). We also need to help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder with things like a mortgage guarantee scheme. Furthermore, Labour has set out some measures that we would bring in a private rental charter which would, for example, end no-fault evictions to make sure landlords are delivering better. Indeed, the City Council is also currently looking locally at how they can do that sooner by licensing every landlord - particularly houses of multiple occupancy where obviously a lot of students will live. It’s really important that we have decent housing and decent landlords - and there are many great landlords - it’s just making sure that people are not being taken advantage of.