INTERVIEW
11
Marsha is a lifelong activist for social justice issues . After a career in advocacy and campaigning , in 2017 she became MP for Battersea , Balham and Wandsworth in south London . She is a Labour MP and vice chair of Christians in Parliament . Marsha herself is registered blind and supports a wide range of charities through her parliamentary work . compassion , but he was a strong advocate for justice as well . That is what I focus on in Parliament , ensuring a better future for everyone .
LL Yes ! I noticed that your website is set up to help people .
MC As an MP you are trying to improve the legislation that comes before you that the government have laid out , and that ’ s my main focus . All of the other aspects of being an MP , such as being on committees and trying to influence is important , but the bread and butter of what I do is helping my constituents . They will get in touch when they are at their wits end or as a last resort over issues such as housing and immigration , health , education , and social security .
Having first met Marsha at the Justice Conference 2020 , this interview was held in January 2022 . It shows Marsha ’ s deep concern for the UK ’ s social situation and role of government . It was printed in July 2022 , during Boris Johnson ’ s resignation period .
LL You say that you consider it a privilege to be an MP ?
MC Not everybody gets the opportunity to do what I do . There are 650 MPs and I think it ’ s important that all of us hold the office with great respect and to represent our constituencies .
LL What first drew you into politics ?
MC My family always voted and I remember going to the polling station with my mum , but no one in the family worked in politics and I didn ’ t grow up saying I wanted to be an MP . However , I was incredibly driven and ambitious , and my life and career have been about wanting to make a difference . I was engaged with current affairs , reading the newspapers , so I was aware of what was going on as I was growing up during the 1980s . I remember the miners ’ strike and getting passionate about the abhorrent apartheid regime in South Africa – that had a huge impact on me at a young age . I hugely admire Nelson Mandela who had his rights and his freedoms taken away from him because he was fighting for freedom for his people . His ability to forgive and reconcile with the oppressors resonates with me . I had the honour of meeting somebody who spent a few decades in prison with Mandela and heard his accounts of their journey – these were young men who wanted freedom and justice . Any regime that tries to oppress a nation of people based on the colour of their skin is not of God .
LL That ability to forgive must be
something you encounter every day as an MP ?
MC Forgiveness is very important but people should also be held accountable and acknowledge when they have done wrong . Jesus modelled his life in love and
When we had the fall of Afghanistan , me and my team were working round the clock to help bring back people that were living in my constituency or connected to people in my constituency . We have a role that is bigger than me as a person . That ’ s why it ’ s a privilege to hold this office and why those in positions of power must be accountable .
LL That ’ s refreshing to hear . Do you get support from other Christians ?
MC I ’ m a member of Christians on the Left , which is for Labour MPs , and I ’ m vice chair of the all-party parliamentary group Christians in Parliament . We have fellowship groups that help us navigate this crazy world of politics together . I also have a very good church and a good church family and friends .
LL It ’ s five years since your election
in June 2017 , what keeps you going as an MP ?
MC I ’ ll never forget the day I came to this place ! I will do this for as long as God wants me to , it ’ s a vocation and I get to serve and represent people . Before politics , I was a campaigner for disabled people ’ s rights with different not-for-profit organisations , mainly in advocacy and policy , campaigning and influencing , so I can see it from both sides . Now I am that politician who can also be an influence .