Emily Thornberry MP
Dame Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, also represents Hackney’s De Beauvoir ward
Dame Emily Thornberry stands in front of the green doors to the An Viet House on Englefield Road
“Many people still don’t know I’m their MP,” says Dame Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury – who has also been representing Hackney’s De Beauvoir ward since last year’s general election.
“I am making the extra effort to meet people, in order to know who I am representing in De Beauvoir, and establish connections,” she continues.
“It’s confusing for De Beauvoir residents because they feel like Hackney residents – but I say ‘I’m Hackney too now!’”
Emily has been around politics her whole life. Her mother was a Labour councillor and Emily joined the Labour party when she was a teenager.
Emily recalls: “My parents split up when I was quite young and my mother was left with nothing. We were evicted from my house, we went on benefits, and we were rehoused by the local authority. The Council rescued us.
“When my mother got back on her feet a councillor said ‘you should pay back’, so she became a councillor. I’ve always believed the Labour party can bring the social justice we need.”
Despite getting involved in the Labour party from a young age, Emily didn’t become an MP until 2005 – after the sitting Islington MP Chris Smith retired.
Instead, Emily became a barrister, where she represented striking miners, print-workers and seafarers, while continuing her Labour campaigning in London.
She explains: “When I was a lawyer I was applying the law. Now I make it. I think that legal training is really helpful. I’m not intimidated by large amounts of information and paper work.
“I’m careful with the public about what I can promise and what I can do, and I can talk – being a barrister helps you listen to people and to talk.
“I wanted to become an MP because I thought my experience of life would help. I thought it was something I would be good at and I would enjoy.
“And I certainly enjoy it – it couldn’t be a better job! It’s a complete honour to represent the community.”
As well as representing her constituents in parliament, Emily is also Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, which holds the foreign office to account.
Like her fellow Hackney MPs, Emily’s main concern for her constituents is the lack of decent and affordable housing.
She says: “We don’t have enough housing. We have a housing crisis and the only way to alleviate this is to build more homes.
“It brings home to me my own experience when we were made homeless and we were given a house when I was younger. How many people get that now?
“The other thing I think people are concerned about is climate change, which is a threat for all of us. Government leadership is really important – we need a clear framework.”
To relax, away from her busy schedule, Emily says: “I listen to books on my phone – murder mysteries, mainly. One of my favourites is ‘Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death’! I enjoy gardening, cooking and spending time with my family.”
Today, Emily is appreciative of how her life has come full circle. She says: “I used to have a boyfriend who lived in De Beauvoir when I was at university. When I came back from Snaresbrook Crown Court early, I would go to the An Viet House for a fabulous lunch. I never thought I’d be the MP here!
“When Chris Smith retired in 2005 he showed me around his constituency. People would run out of their houses in their slippers and dressing gowns and thank him. If they do that when I retire I know I’ve done a good job.”