In 2024, Alice Macdonald entered parliament for the first time as MP for Norwich North. The Conservatives had taken the seat from Labour in 2010, but, with small majorities, it was high on Labour’s target list. Although she had previously been a Councillor in Southwark, Alice grew up in Norfolk, and has family there. She now lives in the constituency, so she seemed a natural fit.
Is she enjoying it?
“Yes, it’s a huge privilege to be an MP,” says Macdonald. “It’s a job where you can make a huge impact, and it’s a privilege to represent people in Norwich North. There are difficult times, but it’s worth it if you feel you are making a difference, helping people with individual problems. And long term you can get real change.
“With a good-sized majority,” she says, “it’s up to me to deliver on what people are hoping for.”
Life in Westminster
Normally she goes down to Parliament on Monday morning and returns on Thursday. When the next week’s schedule of business comes out, she looks for issues relevant to Norwich where she can contribute. For example, just before Christmas she spoke on primary care. There is also unscheduled business, like updates on the Middle East, where she spoke recently on Gaza. “You can bid in a draw for a place in Departmental questions, and you can also ‘bob’ up and down to try to catch the Speaker’s eye”.
Broadly she expects to spend half the sitting day in the Commons Chamber, and to speak three or four times a week. As a new MP she wants to spend time there “to get to grips with how things work, and listen to people who have been there a long time”. Constituents sometimes wonder why she hasn’t spoken on a topic, but in big debates there can be 80-100 people all wanting to speak.
Macdonald is a member of the International Development Select Committee, which takes up 2-3 hours every Tuesday afternoon, with recent work on Gaza, Sudan, and violence against women and girls. The Committee has a report due out shortly on global hunger. which builds on her previous career working for Save the Children and Project Everyone.
Life in the constituency
Much time is spent in meetings with charities or businesses. Where there is an issue that matters to the constituency, she may invite people in, in Westminster or Norwich. So, this week when she is working locally on women’s health a meeting was planned with Endometriosis UK.
In the constituency, “it’s about going out listening to people, and seeing what I can do”. Twice a month she runs a surgery, where people can come and talk about individual issues, and these have been well attended. This week she has met a local firm, and given a talk in a local primary school. Some people came to talk about the challenges of Parkinsons disease, and she later had a chance to raise the issue in a question to the Minister, keeping the issue in the mind of government when they are thinking about broader policy and priorities.
She and Jack Abbott in Ipswich have been given an exciting new role as joint ‘Mission Champions’, to support and coordinate work across the East of England on the government’s five ‘missions’.
What is she pleased about?
Naturally, she is pleased that we have a Labour government, and is proud that “we now have half of the Kings Speech already in train” . She particularly noted progress on renters’ rights, employment conditions and NHS investment. She is glad to have a good local office running, though it is a sad comment on our politics that its location is not publicised, and security is tight.
Locally Macdonald is delighted at the progress on Norwich’s contentious Anglia Square site. “The city council have been trying for ages to unlock that site,” she says, “and finally we have a government prepared to invest some money – a really big win. People will see 1,000 new houses – Labour delivering real physical change.” She also feels that there has been progress on plans for a dental school for the east of England, working across party to tackle the region’s dentistry crisis.”
Some challenges
Macdonald acknowledges difficult choices. “Most people who become MPs want positive change,” she explains. “The reason those choices have been made is that we want the economy back on track and we want money for public services – and the money has to come from somewhere. But generally, I am really proud of what we have done as a government”.
But she is disappointed by the Conservatives. “We have not seen any level of contrition or apology for the decisions they made.”
But cross-party relations at the individual level is much better than it seems from PMQs. Members work well together on the International Development Committee, and she is glad that Wes Streeting is actively seeking cross-party collaboration on social care.
Aspirations
Macdonald’s first priority is Norwich North, focusing on health, homes, and opportunities, as well as the cost of living and climate crisis. She expects to see NHS waiting lists down, especially in gynaecology, where Norwich has the worst waiting list in England. And progress is needed on SEND. “The people who know best on SEND are the parents and teachers. We need coproduction”.
In 5 years, she hopes people will say: “We’ve got an active MP who is standing up for us, even if they don’t agree about it all”.
“And finally…”
The recent Survation study ranked all MPs on a left-right scale. Macdonald scored to the left of Labour MPs as a whole, alongside Jess Philips, Angela Rayner and Lisa Nandy. Did she like the company? “To be honest, in the Labour Party we spend far too long talking about who’s on what side. We are all people who believe in Labour values and progressive change. Of course we are going to have different views, not lots, but you get richness from diversity within a party.”
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