Dame Meg Hillier MP
Dame Meg Hillier, the Labour MP (Co-op) for Hackney South and Shoreditch, talks about why she entered politics
Dame Meg Hillier MP stands in front of a brewery tank at the Great Beyond Taproom and Brewery
“I didn’t set out to become an MP. I saw the world was unfair so I was encouraged to enter politics,” says Dame Meg Hillier, the Labour MP (Co-op) for Hackney South and Shoreditch.
“I lived around the corner from a children’s home and I realised, at a young age, that their lives were different to mine. That driving sense of unfairness, that some children had lots of opportunities and others were denied it – often beyond their control, drove me.”
Meg trained as a journalist, and worked for a national magazine, before entering politics.
She says: “The frustrating thing about being a journalist is you pick up a story and move on. In politics you can see things through from beginning to end. You can make a real difference to the local area.”
Meg has been a Hackney MP since 2005. Her journey into politics began in 1994, when she was elected as a councillor at neighbouring Islington. She then became a founding Member of the London Assembly in 2000.
Meg recalls: “When Brian Sedgemore resigned from Hackney I thought I’d go for it. Being elected to the London Assembly meant I was working for a very big area, whereas I enjoyed being a councillor in a smaller area. Becoming an MP felt like shrinking back down.
“I was excited about representing Hackney and building up those connections. Twenty years later I’ve been representing most of the same area for that time, so you really get to know people.”
Meg clearly knows her patch well, and talks passionately about many of the constituents and businesses who have been in the area for years.
She mentions two of her Hoxton ‘hidden gems’ – the National Centre for Circus Arts and Great Beyond Taproom and Brewery – as examples of the positive impact that small businesses and charities can make to the local community.
Yet Meg is also very aware of how much Hackney has changed in recent years.
Two women, wearing festival gear, show off their ‘I Love Hackney’ badges
She says: “I used to wear my ‘I Love Hackney’ badge in Parliament and spend the first half hour saying how amazing Hackney is. But now I have to remind people how poor some areas are here.
“You knock on doors and the man who discovered Ebola lives there. And then you knock on another door and there are triple bunk beds, or teenagers sharing beds with their parents.
“Part of my job is to tell the story of Hackney and its residents – and also the dignity of people who live here.”
Just like fellow Hackney MP, Diane Abbott, building more decent housing is Meg’s number one priority.
She says: “In 20 years the housing situation here has got so awful. Some people are living in frankly slum conditions and there’s little hope for young people. And that is holding people back. A stable, secure home is a basic.
“There’s not enough social housing and the overcrowding is horrendous. There are people who are trapped in that.
“Then you have the people who are renting, with no security of tenure, who are paying so much rent they can’t save to buy. The divide has got wider over the years.
“My magic wand would be if we could get more good quality social rented housing and to help young people to get on the ladder. If we could solve housing problems, other issues – like poor mental and physical health – would decrease.
“For me, being in politics means to be able to deliver a decent job, a roof over people’s heads and healthcare. They are the basics, the non-negotiables.”