The Big Interview: Chloe Smith

She’s been campaigning to become our next MP for eighteen months – and, since the by-election caused by the resignation of Dr. Ian Gibson, local people will decide a bit earlier whether to vote her in and send a message to Gordon Brown.

We catch up with local Conservative campaigner Chloe Smith to find out why people should vote for her on 23 July.

First things first: why do you want to be an MP?

A lot of people have asked me that, especially after all the dreadful scandals which we’ve seen in the past few months. People are right to be angry about the way MPs have abused their expenses – I’m angry about it too.

We’ve got a lot of work to do to clean up our political system, but I still believe that it’s the best way to solve the big problems our country faces. We’re seeing one of the deepest recessions in the developed world and the Government is continuing to borrow as if there’s no tomorrow. We need to be honest about the challenges ahead. That’s the Conservative Party’s approach. We’ve made some straightforward decisions about public spending, for example scrapping the wasteful ID cards scheme. I want to play my part in tackling these challenges.


Why should we believe that you’d be any different from the current crop of MPs?

I know that faith in politicians is at an all-time low. So many MPs – from all the parties – have abused our trust.

I want to make it very clear that I won’t play the system and won’t bend the rules. I will abide by the standards that people expect politicians to live by. That’s why I’ve set out some strict rules about my expenses.

I’ll publish the details of all my personal expenses, office expenses and donations on my website so the people who employ me – the public – can see them easily. Every year, I’ll appoint a firm of local auditors to sign off my expenses and I’ll let the local newspapers go through my full set of claims.

I also promise never to claim for food, furniture or household goods. And I’ll pay my own taxes rather than trying to charge them to other taxpayers.

I think that’s a very clear set of rules – with no wriggle room. I want people to treat this as a contract between us. And they’ve got a chance to see that I will keep my word. If I’m elected in this by-election, it’ll be less than a year before people can vote again in a general election. If I break any of these rules, people should vote me out when they get the chance.


So you’re saying you’ll keep your promises?

Yes – if I don’t keep my word, people should vote me out. Simple as that.


And why do you want to be an MP here in Norwich North?

I live in Norwich and I love it here. My family moved to Norfolk when I was three, so I’m a Norfolk girl through and through. I grew up in a Norfolk village – Stoke Ferry – so I want to stand up for the tight-knit communities which make our area so special. Our part of the world is often overlooked by the Government, so I want to give it a strong voice. When I was sixteen, I set up a Youth Forum so young people across the county could talk directly about life in Norfolk.

I’ve spent the last 18 months fighting for local people – for instance, taking a petition against the closure of the Walk-in Centre at Dussindale to the Department for Health, calling for the officials behind the Greyhound Opening scandal to be brought to justice, and fighting to get double glazing installed in council homes more quickly. I’d continue to work hard for our area as our MP.


Aren’t you a bit young, though?

I wouldn’t be putting myself forward if I didn’t think I had the ability to do the job properly. I’m certainly younger than the average MP, but I think that’s a good thing at the moment – we need some fresh blood in Parliament, and people with drive and energy.

We also need people who will take the long view about the challenges future generations will face: how to protect our environment, how to pay off the astronomical debts Labour have racked up, and how to equip our young people with the skills they will need to prosper in the years to come.

At 27, I may be young, but I’ve got a lot of valuable experience. I’ve spent my career working for Deloitte, a leading international firm. I’ve learnt a lot about business, working with clients in the private sector, in Government and the public services, and with not-for-profit organisations too. And I’ve got a strong track record of local campaigning which gets results – not just in the eighteen months since I’ve been the Conservative candidate here, but for years beforehand.

As far as I’m concerned: if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.


Haven’t you worked in Westminster before, though? Doesn’t that make you a political insider?

I got into politics when I was left school by working for Gillian Shephard, then the MP for South West Norfolk. She’s been a real mentor to me – she was a strong local MP, a really effective Minister, and is a thoroughly decent person. I worked for her in my gap year and during university holidays, which was a great experience. I also worked for another East Anglian MP, Bernard Jenkin, so I’ve learned a lot about the way Parliament works.

My career so far has been spent in business, advising a wide variety of clients from the public and private sectors. I think it’s really important that people in politics have experience of the real world. I’ve seen how companies large and small have been affected by the recession – I wish Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling could have seen that for themselves.

More recently, I’ve brought my business experience to help the Conservative Party draw up detailed plans to put our policies into practice. I’m keen to use the skills I’ve learned, and the advantages I’ve had in life, to make a difference and to help tackle some of the challenges we face as a country. That’s what politics should be about.


What are the big issues which have come up in the campaign?

Local people are very concerned about the state of our economy, the cost of living, and the frightening levels of debt Labour are saddling us with. Anti-social behaviour, big and small, is very important too.

I’ve also been really angry at Labour’s dishonest claims about public spending, particularly the way they’ve tried to make out that we’d cut back on help for older voters. That’s just not true. Indeed, here in Norwich, it’s Labour who are cutting help for older people – like the valuable services at the Dussindale Walk-in Centre, or the hours they can use their free bus pass – and it’s the local Conservative councils who are stepping in and trying to help. That sort of dishonest campaigning really makes me angry – and it’s what turns people off politics.

chloesmith.org.uk