Interview: Kim McGuinness on publicly owned buses, Jacinda Ardern and trolls

Kim McGuinness was first elected as Northumbria’s police and crime commissioner in 2019. Now she’s standing to be Labour’s candidate for the newly created North East mayoralty.

The shortlist for the position has recently been confirmed, and consists of McGuinness and former MEP Paul Brannen (LabourList will also offer him an interview). Ballots are already out, and the contest closes on July 13th. The first election for the new mayoralty will take place in May next year.

The biggest story around this particular race so far has been who didn’t make the longlist: North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll was blocked from standing for the new North East mayor position.

But McGuinness, a former Newcastle councillor, has set out her own manifesto, and is generally considered the leadership’s favoured candidate. LabourList asked her about what she would do in the new role, her secret talents, and which Tory politician she would least like to get stuck in a lift with.

If victorious in the next election, what one thing would you make a day one number one priority?

My biggest priority is ending child poverty. We can’t deliver that in the first year, let alone on day one, but we can start. So, day one happens in two parts (I know I’m cheating). 

From the beginning, I’ll ask anyone who wants combined authority money what their plan will do to help end child poverty. If they can’t give an answer, they won’t get my backing. 

Part two is about our buses. I’ll get straight to work on bringing them under public control. Our buses are a lifeline for many but they’re broken leaving too many people cut off from a good job, education, healthcare or a social life.

I’ll make sure our buses go where people need them, not where profit takes them, we’ll integrate our system and make it free for young people in education and subsidised for those starting work or a skills course through our North East Careers Hubs. These are the practical steps to ending child poverty and making our region the home of real opportunity.

What other two things would you try to do if elected that would make the most tangible difference to voters’ lives?

Ending child poverty means ensuring the foundational economy is thriving. I’ll appoint a High Streets Commission to reimagine the high street and safeguard local jobs. As I wrote in LabourList earlier this year, most people in the North East haven’t seen a single benefit of devolution, but many have seen local services disappear and good jobs harder to find.

We need to bring the benefits of devolution to the people, and part of that process is reimagining high streets. If we get this right we can bring together housing, the public estate, arts and culture and other aspects to grow that local jobs base. 

The other big change is green jobs. I’ll work with our council leaders to start a new era for our ports and rivers with a Mayoral Development Corporation, with enhanced governance powers so that, unlike in Teesside, all our region has a say over these regeneration projects.

The North East has a chance to lead the way on green manufacturing jobs – from electric vehicles to offshore energy. But we need that to happen in way which doesn’t penalise workers in what is seen as traditional industries, and I’ll work with our unions to make that happen.

🧵📢 I am standing to be @uklabour’s candidate for the new role of North East Mayor 🌹

❤️ I love this region and our people. It’s a huge part of who I am. Together we can build on our proud heritage and give our region the reputation we deserve as the home of opportunity 1/4 pic.twitter.com/XY956IwA34

— Kim McGuinness (@KiMcGuinness) January 26, 2023

What one power that isn’t currently devolved to any council or metro mayor would you devolve to either? 

As mayor I’ll be campaigning for the power to seize properties from rogue landlords and hand them to the best housing associations. Yes, we need to build more homes, and we’ll commit to building the greenest out there, but devolved decision making has to mean something to people who are renting. Too many people have to struggle every day with landlords who won’t deliver on housing standards rights. I want this to be the best place to live, and that means everyone deserves a good home.

I want to work with our councils to show residents we are on their side; we need to be naming and shaming rogue landlords and kicking the worst of them out of the sector.

What’s the issue that voters and residents raise with you most? 

Hardship. Whether it’s cuts to their council services or their schools or their police, people are just fed up have how run down public services are under this government. And Tory devolution deals deliberately do nothing to stop this. My union, Unison, looked at the funds lost to the public sector here in the North East since austerity. More than £1.3bn has been taken from key public services, and this devolution deal does nothing to reverse that.

The Tories even deny there is an issue. In our region child poverty has been a growing problem since long before the government could pin it on the pandemic or the war in Ukraine. People want change, they want opportunity, they want good public services and they don’t want to be ignored. We need a Labour government working hand in hand with Labour mayors and councils to change this.

What do you need to do most if you win, and what more does the party nationally need to do most, to help Labour win more seats in your region in the general election? 

Improve the lives of our residents. When Boris Johnson won over so-called ‘Red Wall’ voters, he told them he would level up the north. What he meant really was he build a few new buildings or anything without ongoing costs. What we actually need here is investment in public services.

In my manifesto I set out how we need a new era of Sure Start-style services to create real opportunity, and that’s what these voters want – a little bit of help to succeed, access to opportunities and a focus on inequality. Not a press release featuring politicians at another business investment stunt.

Public transport must be safe, reliable, affordable and publicly run. As PCC I’ve prioritised safety by investing over £1m to prevent crime on buses and metros in the North East in since 2021. As mayor I won’t stop there, find out more about my plans here: https://t.co/fe1FpkETA8 pic.twitter.com/z5AfNX7Bbf

— Kim McGuinness (@KiMcGuinness) June 14, 2023

What is the best and worst thing about the Labour Party today?

The best thing is that we as a party are finally looking like we can kick the Tories out and change this country for the better. The thing that sticks in my mind from the 2019 general election is the moment we lost Blyth Valley. For those of us campaigning for change in the North East that really hurt.

We knew just how bad things had got. But we’re past that now, we’re a party working together, the party has a positive feel, there’s real optimism and a winning mentality and everyone is focussed on getting a Labour government, getting Keir Starmer into Downing Street.

Without contradicting myself, the worst thing is still that there is still division and the way that manifests itself in online trolling and out and out abuse feels directly contradictory to our Labour values and I can’t stand that this is still a part of our party discourse. You find it everywhere, but it still amazes me that some people think being offensive online is a way to debate the issues. All  it does is turns off voters and it puts off the next generation of people coming into politics- particularly women.

Our job is to be relentlessly focussed on winning elections and for that we need people to come together. If we don’t win, we can’t do anything for the people that so desperately need a Labour government and Labour elected members at every level. We can’t forget that.

Tell us about your first experiences of joining the Labour Party

I joined the party when I was very young because as someone who grew up feeling the benefits of the last Labour government in my very working-class household it felt like my natural political home. I first really got active in the Labour Party in 2012 when I thought the Cameron/Clegg coalition government was the worst we’d ever had (how times have changed).

I wanted to do something about it so I asked some Labour people on twitter how. I joined in a few door knocking sessions in Newcastle North- the constituency I lived in at the time.

Those first few sessions out with Catherine McKinnell our Labour MP and activists and councillors changed the course of my life. I made friends for life, I learned the real power of what we could do for people day to day and eventually, having never had political ambition, I was convinced to stand for Newcastle Council and the rest is history. We didn’t win the general elections in 2015 or 2017 or 2019 but in this region we have had Labour in power locally.

My first proper experiences introduced me to Labour members who are so dedicated, who have shielded residents from the pain of austerity, have fought with all their might to maintain public services. They then taught me that I wanted to do that too.

I’m proud to be backing Kim McGuinness to be Labour’s candidate for the new role of North East Mayor.

Tackling child poverty is more urgent that ever. Too many of our children are denied the future they deserve.

I’m backing Kim because she’s putting that challenge first. pic.twitter.com/HIVSsps9V9

— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) June 9, 2023

What Labour politician do you most admire? 

Jacinda Ardern- you didn’t say UK Labour. Jacinda led New Zealand through torrid times and did it with such authenticity. She showed the difference a Labour government could make and she showed how different leadership could look. I admire her empathy, her willingness to show real emotion.

I admire the way she rejected the ‘strong man’ style we’ve all been so overexposed to and adopted an approach that firmly placed her side by side with citizens. Her exit was brave and graceful. It was further proof that it was always about the people of New Zealand and not just about her. We need more of that.

There are and have been so many incredible Labour figures here in the UK but I’ll choose one, stay current and stick to a woman: Rachel Reeves – I can’t wait until she’s Chancellor. I love working with her. She’s a straight talker, honest and is clear that Labour will get stuff done.

Which Tory politician would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?

Lee Anderson – no explanation required.

What’s your secret talent?

Definitely not a secret, but I am excellent at creating beautiful social media content of my dogs Errol and Iris. Please refer to Insta and twitter. They love likes and shares.

What’s your favourite novel?

The Power by Naomi Alderman. In a world where there is still so much violence against women, it explores a dystopian idea of women gaining physical strength and powers. It’s an empowering argument for true equality.

What key things have you learnt about politics and policy from your time as police and crime commissioner?

That what was true in ’97 is just as true today; if you’re going to be tough on crime you have to be tough on the causes of crime as well. As police and crime commissioner my first response will always be to have more police on our streets, but the truth is we can’t arrest our way to zero crime. That’s why I made tackling poverty and prevention of crime a key feature of my time as PCC.

I’ve worked with community hubs, neighbourhood groups and youth organisations to support their efforts to transform lives, I’ve established a violence reduction unit and I’ve campaigned for the public services that protect us. I’ll continue to do that as mayor.