Alice Macdonald

Last updated
Alice Macdonald
MP
Member of Parliament
for Norwich North
Assumed office
4 July 2024

Alice Macdonald (born 1 April 1983) is a British Labour 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]

Contents

Early life and education

Macdonald grew up in Marham and attended the Downham Market comprehensive high school, then commuted to a sixth form in Cambridge. [3] Her first job was on a local farm. Macdonald also worked in pubs, cafes and shops. [4] She graduated with first class honours in 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 with distinction. [5]

Pre-election political career

Macdonald served as a councillor in the Newington ward of Southwark from 7 May 2018 to 29 June 2023. [6] On the 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]

Election to Norwich North

Alice Macdonald was elected on the 4th of July 2024. Macdonald received 20,794 votes, a 45.4% share of the Norwich North vote and a majority of 10,850.

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.

In a post-election speech, Macdonald said, "I feel very privileged to have been elected but that comes with a huge responsibility - there are big challenges across this area. I want to get stuck in and help people to make things better." [8]

Charity campaigning

Macdonald was Campaigns and Policy Director for London-based company [9] Project Everyone between August 2016 and April 2023. Project Everyone was co-founded by Richard Curtis and is dedicated to "achieving sustainable development goals" via "campaign materials, [...] installations, [...] documentaries, [and] events". [10] Macdonald also served as Campaign Director for Hungry for Action Campaign, who aim to spotlight the global food crisis. [11]

Appointments

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. [12] The appointment lasted from 21 July 2021 until 28 November 2022, when she resigned from her position. [13]

Controversy

In 2022, Macdonald announced she would be standing for the Labour parliamentary candidacy against Karen Davis. Davis previously stood unsuccessfully against the Conservative incumbent Chloe Smith. The announcement of Macdonald's candidacy prompted accusations that she unfairly used campaign materials in a manner that took credit for someone else's work. Labour councillor Emma Corlett 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." In an additional comment, Corlett cast doubt on Macdonald's local knowledge: "Use your local knowledge? What, on a postage stamp?" [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Row erupts in Labour process to pick candidate to fight Norwich North". Norwich Evening News. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  2. ↑ https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/local-council/20664570.a-bold-vision-hope---labour-candidates-plan-win-norwich-seat/
  3. ↑ "Alice Macdonald elected as Labour MP in Norwich North". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Alice Macdonald for Norwich North" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "Alice Macdonald: Labour and Co-operative Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North and Campaign Director Hungry for Action" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Councillor details - Councillor Alice Macdonald - Southwark Council" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Our rundown of Labour parliamentary selections over the weekend". 25 July 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Norwich North - General election results 2024". BBC News. "Labour gains Norwich North constituency with huge 10,000 majority".
  9. ↑ "Project Everyone Overview" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  10. ↑ "About Us - Project Everyone" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "SDG2 Advocacy Hub: Hungry for Action" . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  12. ↑ "About Us". Potters Fields Park. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  13. ↑ "Alice MACDONALD". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Norwich North
2024–present		Incumbent
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