Labour councillor Alice Macdonald is looking to run for parliament, she announced on Wednesday (June 15).
Cllr Macdonald, who was re-elected to the Newington ward of Southwark last month, will try to be selected as Labour’s candidate for the Norwich North constituency, where she grew up, when another General Election is called.
Norwich North has been held by Conservative MP Chloe Smith since a 2009 by-election. Smith increased her share of the vote to more than 50 per cent in 2019, while Labour’s share fell to about 40 per cent – so Cllr Macdonald would have a fight on her hands to retake the seat.
Cllr Macdonald, who is Southwark Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods, equalities and leisure, said her mother was the former leader of West Norfolk Council.
On her new campaign website, she says that she has “protected public services, invested in libraries, stopped the closure of a GP surgery, welcomed hundreds of refugees to safety and led our community response to COVID – getting support to over 70,000 vulnerable people and volunteering myself for a local food bank.”
The next general election will take place on January 24, 2025 at the latest, but it could be earlier. Councillors can run for parliament at the same time as holding their role in local politics, although there is debate about how effective they can be at their original job.