Going with my parents to protest against a National Front march in Haringey in the mid-1970s. I recall finding the whole experience very scary indeed.
Who is your political hero?
I know it’s terribly predictable but it has to be Nelson Mandela – the struggle against apartheid was the finest cause of my youth, and Mandela’s dignity and courage shine as an example to all of us.
Thierry Henry.
A genuine, lasting peace in the Middle East with true recognition of Israel and a really viable state for the Palestinians.
When I was little I wanted to be a doctor but once I started doing biology at school I realised that it wasn’t for me. As a teenager I loved the TV series Crown Court so I wanted to be a barrister (I guess the wigs were part of the appeal). My A-Level economics teacher Mr Coward told me I’d be bored stiff studying law so I chose politics and economics instead – so I suppose people now know who to blame.
If Channel Four had a ‘Big Brother parliament special’ whom would you nominate for eviction first?
The very idea of a ‘Big Brother special’ sounds horrific to me. Surely any half-sensible MP would want to be the first to be evicted.
If you had to be stranded on a desert island with someone from the opposite benches, who would it be?
Lady Sylvia Herman of the Ulster Unionists – she is a wonderful, charming woman with a great sense of humour. I remember when we were finally repealing Section 28 seeing her in the ‘Aye’ lobby – the only Northern Ireland MP to vote for repeal. She is a courageous woman and a principled campaigner for human rights for all.
Apart from political engagements, how do you spend the weekend?
I spend as much weekend time as I can with my boyfriend and I like to keep in touch with other friends – when I was first an MP I let the job take over my life and as a result lost touch with several very good friends. More recently, I’ve been much better at achieving some kind of work-life balance.
What’s the strangest gift you’ve ever received as an MP?
I have several drawers full of strange gifts I’ve received as an MP.
What would be your desert island disc and book?
Lately I’ve rediscovered my late adolescent love of Morrissey and The Smiths so my disc would have to be Hatful of Hollow. As for a book – if I can only have one it’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou but if I can have a series it has to be Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.
If you were able to spend an hour with one dead historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Karl Marx – it would be fascinating to hear his reflections on all that has happened since his death, particularly all the things done in his name. I grew up in a Communist party household – sadly, my Mum died twelve years ago but I know she’d have been a very vocal critic of our Labour government, whereas my Dad, who lives in my constituency, is very supportive of our achievements.