Tell us about your journey since graduating from LSE
I was very lucky to be able to undertake a postdoc at LSE following the conclusion of my PhD. Following that, I crossed over to the dark side and worked for some years at King's College London, then at Aston University in Birmingham. I also chaired a debt and welfare advice centre on the estate where I live. In 2014 I was elected to the European Parliament for the South East; and then in 2017 I was elected as the MP for Oxford East. In the middle of all this I had two kids. I've occupied a number of different roles in Parliament, from the shadow treasury team to the chair of the Labour Party, to the Minister for Women and Equalities and for International Development.
If you could tell your younger student self one piece of wisdom, what would it be and why?
Stop surfing and start writing!
How has studying in the Department of Government helped you since graduation?
As an MP, you have to be able to quickly assimilate large amounts of information, engage in public speaking at the drop of a hat, and produce written material quickly. I am grateful to everyone involved with the Department of Government who helped me in all these areas. To be honest though, I think my first experiences of teaching that I obtained at LSE were the most formative part of my experience in the Department. I really enjoyed it (yes, even teaching research methods!) and I still miss teaching now, even if I don't miss marking that much!
What’s the one piece of career guidance that has most impacted you?
Focus on what you're interested in.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
I've been delighted to see measures I've worked on to make workplaces fairer, put into legislation in the Employment Rights Bill. It was also really satisfying to chair Labour's policy review and National Policy Forum, as my party prepared for the last general election and the creation of our manifesto.
LSE is celebrating 130 years this year. If you had one birthday wish or tradition for LSE, what would it be and why?
As a proud Fabian as well as a former student at LSE, it would have to be to keep on producing high-quality evidence and analysis; we need it now more than ever.
What is your fondest memory from LSE?
Meetings with my wonderful supervisor, Professor Mark Thatcher. I didn't start my PhD with Mark but was assigned to him after I began my course - and am so glad that I was! I couldn't have hoped for a more supportive and (rightly!) challenging supervisor. He remains a huge intellectual inspiration to me and I'm delighted to be able to call him a friend, over twenty years after I finished my PhD.