‘I was taught from a young age about the importance of volunteering and contributing back into our community, seeing my mum do so – and taking me along to help too’, Sagal Abdi-Wali MP writes
On Monday, I will be honoured to walk into Parliament as the first woman in the UK to do so as a British-Somali MP.
Not only that, I’ll be the first woman to serve in the Commons on behalf of the people of Holborn and St. Pancras. I’ve been on quite a journey. It’s a journey that shows the very best of our country.
My family and I came here from Somalia as refugees in the 1990s. We were given the opportunity to build a home and a life here. That stability meant I could go to school, make friends and grow up feeling part of this vibrant community.
My Mum wasted no time in getting us all involved in our neighbourhood. I was taught from a young age about the importance of volunteering and contributing back into our community, seeing my mum do so – and taking me along to help too, when I wasn’t out playing football – for all kinds of events and get-togethers. A home gave us everything, and we wanted to repay that incredible opportunity and kindness.
I know my story will chime with many Mirror readers who have been lucky to have similar chances, and perhaps with those who haven’t been as fortunate or had the support they need just yet.
Being elected to serve our community is the greatest honour of my life and I will use each and every day to fight for Camden, fight for a better country and give back the hope our community has given me over the years.
At a time when so much of our politics is about point scoring, or tearing strips off our opponents, I’m so proud of the campaign Labour ran in Holborn and St. Pancras. It showed the very best of our communities, and in my view, the very best of Britain.
We need to make sure we don’t let that hope go away in the coming weeks and months. Whether it be on ending rough sleeping, taking on powerful vested interests or putting power back into people’s hands, Andy Burnham is giving Britain hope for a fairer future.
We all saw that in his passionate Conference speech just over a week ago and I’m so thrilled to be joining him on the Green benches to help deliver on our shared plan for Camden and for the country.
The hope that ran through our campaign doesn’t come easy. Neither does the progress we all want to see across the country. But by driving forwards with our hopeful agenda, and seeing that real strength we have in our diversity in every corner of Britain, we can and we will build the better future we all want to see. Together.
‘We need greater public control of our water’
In August, yet another Thames Water main burst and exploded through a pavement in my constituency. Water a foot deep surged down a main road, trapping customers and owners inside businesses for hours and causing thousands of pounds worth of lost trade.
Firefighters were called to supply sandbags and save businesses, and Camden Council teams were deployed to clear the debris.
Customers who’ve recently had their bills hiked again found their taps suddenly not working. And all this whilst Thames’ shareholders have pocketed nearly £200 million in the past few years.
I know our broken water industry isn’t just a problem for Londoners. It’s a problem across England. It’s time we had greater public control of our water. If we don’t, profit will just carry on being put before people. We just can’t allow that to happen.
‘Supporting Spurs meant I wasn’t complacent over by-election’
I love a kickabout. Growing up, football was my friends’ shared language – we came from all over, but we could speak with our feet. We set up a girls’ football team and played all over our local area. As a longtime Spurs fan, partnering with Arsenal in the Community and meeting the Gunnersaurus gave me a chance to flex my diplomacy skills as well as my keepy-uppies. I have to say though, given I am a Spurs fan, I definitely wasn’t complacent about winning the by-election on Thursday!
‘Reform marking their own homework’
Farage and Reform seem to think they can mark their own homework. The internal report they released this week into their donation scandal was a complete whitewash. People can’t stand politicians who think they’re above the rules. It’s time they came clean with the public about what they’ve been up to.