Alice Macdonald
Alice Macdonald | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Norwich North | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Chloe Smith |
| Majority | 10,850 (23.7%) |
| Member of Southwark London Borough Council for Newington | |
| In office 7 May 2018 – 29 June 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 April 1983 Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Political party | Labour and Co-operative |
| Parent(s) | Irene[1] and John[citation needed] Macdonald |
| Education | |
Alice Macdonald (born 1 April 1983) is a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich North since 2024. She is the daughter of former West Norfolk Council Labour leader Irene Macdonald.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Macdonald grew up in Marham and attended the Downham Market comprehensive high school, then commuted to a sixth form in Cambridge.[3] She studied French and Italian at the University of Bristol in 2005, then went on to study a Master of the Arts in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London, where she graduated in 2007.[4][5]
Pre-Parliamentary career
[edit]Local politics
[edit]Macdonald served as a councillor in the Newington ward of Southwark from 7 May 2018 to 29 June 2023.[6] On 25 July 2022 she was announced as the official Labour parliamentary candidate for Norwich North. She has also served as a senior adviser to Harriet Harman and Bob Ainsworth.[7]
Charity campaigning
[edit]Macdonald was Campaigns and Policy Director for London-based company Project Everyone between August 2016 and April 2023.[8] Project Everyone was co-founded by Richard Curtis and is dedicated to "achieving sustainable development goals" via "campaign materials, [...] installations, [...] documentaries, [and] events".[9] Macdonald also served as Campaign Director for Hungry for Action Campaign, who aim to spotlight the global food crisis, but resigned from this position upon becoming MP.[10]
Appointments
[edit]Macdonald was a Director of the Potter Fields Park Management Trust, a not-for-profit organisation that manages events and maintenance for a park and a churchyard in Southwark.[11] The appointment lasted from 21 July 2021 until 28 November 2022, when she resigned from her position.[12]
Parliamentary career
[edit]In 2022, Macdonald announced she would be standing for the Labour parliamentary candidacy against Karen Davis, who stood in the 2019 general election against Conservative incumbent Chloe Smith. In response to a video by Macdonald supporting her own candidacy, Emma Corlett, the deputy leader of Norfolk County Council, remarked: "This video literally uses photos from Karen Davis' campaign on holiday hunger and has you walking past the Vote Labour boards she and I put up with our bare (splintered) hands."[1]
Macdonald was elected to represent Norwich North at the 2024 general election. She received 20,794 votes, a 45.4% share of the vote and a majority of 10,850. There were six candidates and a turnout of 62%.[13]
The result was a 18.2% swing to Labour from 2019. The unpopularity of the Conservatives in her area was the deciding factor in a result that also saw significant vote share increase for Reform and The Green Party.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Row erupts in Labour process to pick candidate to fight Norwich North". Norwich Evening News. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "'A bold vision of hope' - Labour candidate's plan to win Norwich seat". Norwich Evening News. 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ "Alice Macdonald elected as Labour MP in Norwich North". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Alice Macdonald for Norwich North". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Alice Macdonald: Labour and Co-operative Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North and Campaign Director Hungry for Action". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Alice Macdonald - Southwark Council". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Our rundown of Labour parliamentary selections over the weekend". 25 July 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Project Everyone Overview". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "About Us - Project Everyone". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "SDG2 Advocacy Hub: Hungry for Action". Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "About Us". Potters Fields Park. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
- ^ "Alice MACDONALD". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
- ^ "Norwich North - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- 1983 births
- 21st-century British women politicians
- Alumni of SOAS University of London
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- British socialists
- British women trade unionists
- Councillors in the London Borough of Southwark
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- Labour Party (UK) councillors
- Labour Co-operative MPs for English constituencies
- People from King's Lynn and West Norfolk (district)
- UK MPs 2024–present
- Women councillors in England