Hope in Camden , all together now

“I hope this moment says something about who gets to belong. For people who look like me. I hope they see themselves reflected in this place and know that their path too belongs here. This is Camden and this is Britain.”

Politics and leadership in any sense, should always be at its heart, based on values and service

Because politics, at its best, is about belonging. It is about deeply held beliefs. And it is about using power to change lives for the better.

Empathy. Social justice. Care for the marginalised. A determination to leave things better than we found them. These should never be optional extras in political leadership. They should be the point.

And this is why Labour’s win in Camden, and Sagal’s election as its MP, feels like such an important moment.

Sagal is not simply someone who talks about these values. She embodies them.

A child refugee who found home and community in the part of North London where I also grew up, she has repaid that community by serving it, championing others and helping people find their place. Now, she takes that commitment to Parliament.

As an ex-Camden girl (although, really, are we ever ex?), I cannot overstate how much this means to me.

Because representation matters. Not just because of who gets elected, but because of who gets to see themselves reflected in power. Who gets to believe that their story belongs. Who gets to imagine a different future because someone who looks like them has shown them what is possible.

That is what politics can do when it remembers who it is for.

Remembering our why

When I became Civic Mayor of Hackney, I began our first full council meeting by quoting another political leader whose life embodied values-driven politics: the late Jo Cox MP.

“We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”

Jo’s words, her life and her determination to help others were a catalyst for me. They helped move me from political bystander to active participant: first as a local branch member, then Women’s Officer, councillor, Mayor, Vice-Chair of the Fabian Women’s Network and, finally, Cabinet Lead for SEND — a role I will always be grateful to have held.

Jo’s example has stayed with me throughout that journey. When political life gets difficult, as it inevitably does, her values bring me back to the question that matters most: Why am I doing this?

And sometimes, you need that reminder more than ever.

The past few months have brought some genuinely awful political moments for me personally. Anyone who saw me on the day I lost my seat and Cabinet role this year will remember the absolute state I was in. It was not a good look. I remain eternally grateful to the friends who valiantly tried to shield my very soggy face from the media.

There were a LOT of tears.

But those tears were not simply about losing a title, a position or a role. They were about what those things had meant to me. About the people I had worked for. The lives I had hoped to improve. The values I had tried to put into practice.

Because when politics matters to you, losing the opportunity to serve hurts.

Beyond the noise

I have never believed that politics should be about political manoeuvring, factionalism, social media point-scoring or the latest soundbite. These things can too easily become the story, when they should never be the reason we are here.

Politics should be about people.

It should be about what we stand for when things get difficult, whose voices we choose to amplify and what we do with the opportunities we are given. It should be about taking our own experiences — whatever our backgrounds, our struggles or our stories — and using them to reach out, open doors and elevate others.

That is the thread connecting Jo Cox’s legacy, my own political journey and, today, Sagal Abdi-Wali’s achievement.

And it is why this moment feels so significant.

Today, there are more tears. Thankfully, considerably fewer than on the day I lost my seat. These are tears of gratitude, pride and, perhaps, a little renewed hope.

Hope that another values-driven leader is stepping forward. Hope that she will use her story, her voice and her platform to shape her community for the better. Hope that others will see what she has achieved and feel that they, too, belong in the places where decisions are made.

Sagal’s words remind us that belonging is not something we should have to earn by fitting someone else’s idea of who belongs. It is something we must actively create — in our communities, in our institutions and in our politics.

Her election is not just a milestone for Camden. It is a reminder of what politics looks like when it reflects the people it serves.

And for those of us who have ever questioned whether we can make a difference, or struggled to remember our own why, it is a reason to keep going.

Because titles come and go. Seats are won and lost. Political fortunes change.

But values endure. Service matters. And every now and then, someone comes along who reminds us exactly why we started.

Today, for me, that person is Sagal Abdi-Wali.

And I cannot think of a better reason to keep going.