Former cabinet minister Hazel Blears talks exclusively to Biteback and Total Politics about why people feel disconnected with politics, and what a certain parliamentary scheme is doing to change that.
The Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme - a programme to get individuals from low incomes involved in politics - is launching its second year.
Hazel Blears, who thought up the scheme with Eric Ollerenshaw and Jo Swinson, told Total Politics and Biteback why it is important to give people from diverse backgrounds experience of how Parliament works.
Placements last year included a mother with a five-year-old who had never been to London and a former child soldier.
Blears explains: "One of the reasons that people feel disconnected from politics is that increasingly they think, 'MPs don't look like me. They don't talk like me. They haven't lived a life like mine.’
"What I'm trying to show is that people from all walks of life can come work here, can get involved in politics and public life and make a difference.
"The only criteria that we set was that you are from a low income background and you wouldn't have the means to come to London... The criteria is very open. Some people have degrees, some haven't.
"We've not had a single person drop out of the scheme, even though it's not the easiest thing to do."
We also spoke to Hazel, and participants of the scheme, about what they had learned about How To Be An MP.
Hazel said, “The first thing I always say to people who come along and they say to me ‘Hazel, how do I get to be an MP? I want to be an MP’. I ask them one question. Do you want this more than anything else you want in the world? Because if you don’t, stop now, because the one thing you need is stamina, determination, tenacity, you just have to keep at it. It took me twelve years to get to parliament. I didn’t get slotted into a safe seat from somebody who was my patron. I think if you keep at it and you’re passionate enough then you will get through”.
Luke Shaw-Harvery, who worked with Esther McVey on the scheme said "just be true to yourself, know where you stand on issues", whilst Matthew Baird, who worked for Karl McCartney, said "work a lot. It's definitely not a 9 to 5 position".
Participating MPs include Mike Crockart, Simon Danczuk, Helen Grant, Karl McCartney, Siobhain McDonagh, Esther McVey, Amber Rudd and Jo Swinson.
To apply for the next round of placements, click here.