Hannah Spencer, the Green MP who won last month's Gorton and Denton byelection, has used her first speech in the House of Commons to call for tolerance and inclusivity, and to argue for more people from manual working backgrounds to be elected to parliament. The former plumber, who overturned a 13,000 Labour majority, said she wanted to 'make hope normal again'.
Speaking in a debate about International Women's Day, Spencer recounted how some children had dressed up as 'Hannah the plumber' for school events, wearing overalls and copying her distinctive hairstyle. 'Four weeks ago today I was in college, a plumber learning how to plaster,' she said. 'And today I'm in parliament, as an MP. And being here is the honour of my life. But I don't want this to be unusual or exceptional. I truly believe that anyone doing a job like mine should get a seat on these benches.'
Echoing the theme of her byelection victory speech, Spencer listed various groups she would stand up for, including girls who dressed as her, women who have supported her, men suffering from mental health issues, veterans, the white working classes, the homeless, trans siblings, Muslims, disabled people, and people of colour. 'I don't always get it, I won't say I always understand it. But what I do know is what it feels like to be looked down on. To be let down and left behind. To be less worthy because of something about me,' she said.
Spencer paid tribute to her predecessor, Labour's Andrew Gwynne, for his work on health inequalities, and pledged to continue that work. She also thanked the suffragette Elsie Plant, after whom she named one of her greyhounds, and the workers, cafes, and pubs of her constituency. Concluding her speech, she said: 'Together, we can make hope normal again. And we will look after each other, whoever we are. Because where I'm from, that is just what we do.'
