Diversity and Parliament: what motivated you to become a Member of Parliament? Video Lecture | How does UK Parliament's Education Service works? - Personal Learning

I was first elected in 2005 it wasn't
something that I always wanted to be so
I didn't start off wanting to be a
member of parliament I actually wanted
to be a children's presenter at one
stage I studied computers at college and
my first job was a computer programmer
but I became very active in the trade
union movement it was a feat once it was
in Hackney and the guys couldn't stand
for that seat because it's all with me
short list so they started calling me
because they wanted to trade unionists
saying would I stand and I was like no
no no I'm fine
people don't like MP's politicians you
know I was quite happy being like has a
full-time trade union rep but then
afterwards I thought well I could be the
kind of MP that I want to be and even
though I didn't see people like me in
Parliament they didn't look like me or
they didn't speak like me I thought I
could give it a go and so that was kind
of my motivation and knowing that I
could be a different MP and make a
difference to other people like me
I became a member of the House of Lords
in 2001 it was a process of applying it
was the first time that the so-called
people's pairs were set up my motivation
was very much that of making a
contribution
what motivated me to become a member of
parliament well it's a difficult
question I mean I was always very
interested in politics when I was school
maybe sort of 15 16 but I actually went
to read history at University and then I
did a number of jobs in financial
services but always at the back of my
mind I was very interested in people how
people interacted that issues about the
government these sorts of experiences
really meant that I was much more
focused about trying to become a member
of parliament right to represent people
a community
but arrested I would be representing
people who hurt us money through us from
our business and I kept coming back to
why is it like this why these kids in
person why is this company going bust
and I think I was a kind of lawyer that
what was interested in policy how do you
change the world so these young people
are in prison how do you fix the worlds
of this business doesn't go bus wasn't
just dealing with one problem one thing
at a time it was changing the whole
world changing the whole context the
world could be a better place