AN ACCESSIBLE MP who puts the needs of the community first is the promise from Labour’s candidate for Wokingham.
Last month, the party chose Monica Hamidi to contest the seat in next month’s general election. It is her first time standing in a parliamentary election, but she has had vast experience having worked in the office of Virendra Sharma, the Ealing Southall MP who stood down when parliament was dissolved on May 30. She is also a councillor.
But go back 16 years or so, and a younger Monica Hamidi may be surprised at how her life journey has turned out: she fell into politics.
“When I was 19 or 20, I started working as a volunteer in an MP’s office. Before that I had no political background, my family weren’t, and I wasn’t. I knew nothing about politics,” she says.
“I was there because I like helping people – it’s one thing that is important to me. I stayed there for 16 years.”
Two years ago, she was also elected as a councillor in Ealing, adding to her experience. Standing in the general election is the next step. But she is keen to stress it is because she wants to help people.
“We were in one of the busiest offices,” she says of her casework, saying they dealt with around 150 queries every week, with demand soaring due to the cost-of-living crisis.
“People come and they can’t pay their bills, they can’t afford to feed their family and they have to use the food bank,” she says. “It is heartbreaking and it’s shocking that this is where we’ve got to. It’s ridiculous people have to deal with this now, but people don’t have money. They can’t afford basic things.”
She continues: “I’ve seen what it was like with a Labour government and over the past 14 years, I’ve seen firsthand how (austerity) has affected people. But I’ve also learned the difference an MP’s office can make, and what an MP can do to make someone’s life better.
“That, for me, is honestly one of the reasons I want to stand. I know what it means, and it gives me satisfaction knowing I can help people. It can be hard, it can get emotional, but you still have to think clearly and help.
“It’s not a nine-to-five job. You don’t see the same thing every day.
“I understand that when people contact an MP it’s because they are desperate for help. If they are angry, that’s their right and hopefully I can make that anger go away and turn it into a positive.”
Her family came to the UK from Iran in the 1990s, and Monica said she had to help them in various ways, so she has been brought up working for others. This has fuelled her desire to be a doer:
“It’s important for an MP to work with the community, because you are representing that constituency. You have to have the community at heart at all times in anything that you do,” she explains.
“Community is the one important thing for me.”
Away from her councillor and caseworker roles, Monica is also a small business owner and knows how the sector has been struggling in the past few years.
“The business we have is supplying sustainable packaging to restaurants and the hospitality industry. It was hit very hard during covid but we managed to get through it. It’s still going strong.
“I understand how difficult it is to have a business and make it a success. I set it up in 2017, and employ seven people. Then covid hit. I know the struggle. I know what others are going through as well.”
Why is Monica making the leap from being an MP’s caseworker and a councillor to standing as a MP? She says it feels like it is the right thing to do.
“I want to represent Wokingham in parliament and be their voice. I believe I’m the right candidate,” she says.
“I’ve got the background of working for an MP, which has given me what I need to know about what it is like, how to run an office and what it needs. I will be able to hit the ground running, with no messing about.”
Wokingham Labour’s selection process had been due to appoint its candidate for the general election in May, in the expectation of a November poll. Rishi Sunak’s announcement means Monica has had to spring into action earlier than planned. She says she has been helped by the local party, and has been settling in nicely.
“They are fantastic and so lovely,” she says. “Wokingham is such a lovely place, and the local members have been so welcoming and supportive. I know if I get elected, I will do them proud.
“The Labour Party chose me, knowing my experience and they know I’m the right candidate for Wokingham. They know what I could do and the difference I can make.”
And getting to know the new constituency, which includes parts of Twyford, Wargrave, Arborfield and Wokingham Without, has been a pleasure.
“It’s not that different to the area I’m a councillor for,” Monica says. “Ealing feels like a suburb, it’s not like central London city life.
“But I love Wokingham, I genuinely do. It’s beautiful and everyone I’ve met so far has been so kind and lovely. I feel lucky that I’ve been given this great opportunity to represent such a fantastic area.”
Nice platitudes aside, Monica has a desire to make the borough a better place, picking up on the closure of police stations in recent years.
“You’ve got the (Wokingham Conservative) candidate going to the Earley and Woodley constituency to record a video,” she says of her opponent posing outside the Loddon Valley station.
“There are things that have been taken away from the community. It’s sad and these are things they need,” she continues. “Like the Post Office. I know our team worked really hard to try and save it but the campaign didn’t work.
“There are things that need improving, and it’s very much what Labour has planned for the next five years. If they are government, people will notice the difference.
“We’ve got NHS waiting times, anti-social behaviour … everybody we speak to raises this. They will see improvements. It’s not going to be easy because we’ll be coming in after 14 years of chaos.”
One of the other big issues in this election is housing, and Monica says a Labour government will build more, and ensure that the infrastructure comes in with it.
“Everywhere you look online, it says Wokingham is such a lovely place to live, so people do move here,” she says, adding with a laugh, “Hopefully, on the fifth of July I’ll be going to a local estate agency.”
Although she is aware of the need for housing, Monica is also aware of Wokingham residents feeling they have taken more than their fair share.
“We need to build more homes, but they need to be good quality and ensure the infrastructure is there: GP surgeries, school placements, stuff like that. That is Labour’s plan. You can be just building homes with no actual infrastructure … it needs to be sustainable.
“I have no hesitation that Labour will handle it in the right way. 100%.”
And she is determined to be a good servant for Wokingham: “It will all be community focused.
“My plan will be to have an open office, with caseworkers that people can contact and get appointments. That is what people need: an accessible MP.”
She promises that if elected she would meet organisations and groups: “I know there are some that would benefit from having an active MP. I would speak to them and see what help they’ll need. I’ll be their representative.”
