21 Jun 2024
When St Albans Labour Party officially announced their prospective Parliamentary candidate for the constituency at the start of the March, it arguably should have been the start of a fiercely-run campaign to win the seat.
But although Sophia Adams Bhatti joined potential district councillors fighting to win the London Colney ward, she remained notable primarily for her low profile over the following weeks.
Even after Rishi Sunak announced the date for the General Election on May 22, there was nothing forthcoming from the Labour camp, despite numerous requests for comment.
Now, with just a fortnight to go before Polling Day, Sophia has finally come forward to answer questions on her key campaign issues in the run-up to July 4.
Sophia, 48, who lives in Bishop’s Stortford, previously campaigned for the Labour nomination in her home town, but was defeated by the party’s constituency spokesman and Hertford town councillor Josh Dean.
A mother of two, she works as head of purpose and impact at international law firm Simmons and Simmons, with previous roles including a regulator in healthcare, immigration and financial services.
She explained why she has decided to run as the Labour candidate for St Albans: “I’m not a typical politician. I’m a working mother and a human rights activist who has had enough of seeing our great country reduced to such a mess. The UK has some serious policy problems I want to fix – and I know only Labour can deliver the change we need.
“As a professional working in London, commuter, mother, school governor, a human rights activist – in so many ways I look at the state of our country and am shocked at the damage done to our economy, education and, public services.
“I have had a 25 year career across the public and private sectors. I have worked at a senior level in financial services, consumer affairs, healthcare, law reform, sustainability and immigration.
“I decided to stand for Labour in St Albans because I felt a deep urge to do something about the mess we find the country in. Standing as Labour’s candidate is my contribution, firstly to our democracy, it has suffered a crisis of trust after repeated failures of honesty and integrity in recent years, and secondly to rebuilding Britain – solving deep public policy problems is what I do.”
Is it going to be harder to fight a campaign with only a few weeks left to do it? “This country needed an election. We need to end the Tory chaos, turn the page, and start to rebuild with Labour. I’ve loved the opportunity to speak to people on the doorstep across the constituency, to hear their concerns, and try to help them. We’ve got a lot of work to do and two weeks left to do it.
“My focus on the doorstep has been about bringing down bills for people, making sure they can see their doctor, get a good job, and send their kids to good schools.
“I will continue to be out talking to local residents as much as possible between now and election day. It has been a hugely warm reception, I love talking to people. Our colleagues in neighbouring constituencies are doing likewise.”
She said she is enjoying the challenge of campaigning against popular Liberal Democrat candidate Daisy Cooper: “People I speak to are crying out for change and the only way to get that is to vote Labour. What I am offering is the ability for people to get the change they want. Labour, and I, don’t take a single vote for granted. If anyone else does I think they’ll get a nasty surprise on July 4.
She said the controversial issue of VAT on school fees need not be carried by hard-working parents: “Every child deserves the best education and opportunities. As a school governor I can see on a daily basis the difficulty financially our schools are facing, including recruiting teachers. Currently private schools have a tax break and ending this will pay for 6,500 teachers in the state sector. It is up to the schools to decide if they pass on the cost to parents.”
Asked whether she supported building houses on the Green Belt she said it was a matter of redefining large stretches of land: “I work in the sustainability field and have championed the UN Sustainable Development Goals for many years – protecting our Green Belt is more than a simple policy statement to me. Everyone deserves a home – and our housing stock is too low. That’s why Labour will use the ’Grey Belt’ to build on first. These are areas incorrectly designated as ‘green’ and the programme will benefit both communities and our natural environment.”
She would not be drawn into the ongoing debate over a smartphone ban for young teenagers: “As you know we have worked hard to strengthen the Online Safety Act, and will continue to work improving online safety for young people and children.”
