Labour leadership contender Lisa Nandy stated that she would vote to scrap the monarchy in a Channel 4 debate last night where she faced off against Rebecca Long-Bailey and front-runner Kier Starmer.
When asked how she would vote if there were a referendum on keeping the monarchy, Nandy said, ‘I’m a democrat, so I would vote to scrap it, but actually this is not the priority as a country.’ Starmer and Long-Bailey echoed her sentiment that the issue isn’t a priority, but both said they wouldn’t vote to abolish the monarchy – with Starmer adding he would ‘downsize it’.
Despite all three contenders affirming that the monarchy’s existence is not high on their list of things to do should they get into power, the question has become a sticking point for viewers. But what else does Nandy stand for? Here, we’ve done a deep dive so you can get to know the potential future leader of the Labour Party....
Who is Lisa Nandy MP?
Lisa Nandy, 40, is a British politician who has served as MP for Wigan since 2010. Born in Manchester, she is the daughter of Louise and Dipak Nandy. Her father is an academic from India and her grandfather was a Liberal MP who held many offices in the Liberal Party.
Nandy studied politics at Newcastle University and public policy for her master’s degree at Birkbeck, University of London. Working as a researcher for Walthamstow Labour MP Neil Gerrard, she went on to do the same job for homelessness charity Centrepoint and then moved to The Children’s Society as a senior policy advisor before her eventual MP campaign in 2010.
As an MP, she has held a number of office positions including parliament private secretary to Tessa Jowell, shadow charities minister and shadow energy secretary until she resigned in 2016 following the EU Referendum (alongside many other MPs unhappy with Jeremy Corbyn’s management).
And while you may be more aware of her politics now than ever, Nandy has always been in the running to lead the Labour Party. Back in 2015, there was speculation she would stand after Ed Miliband's resignation, but instead she endorsed Andy Burnham. Then, in 2015, political commentator Owen Jones encouraged her to run for the leadership but the recent birth of her son held her back. In 2017, she was brought into the mix to replace Jeremy Corbyn, and again in 2019 when the topic arose again. Now, it seems, it is finally her time.
What is Lisa Nandy’s voting record?
They Work For You is a website that publishes MPs voting records for the public. According to them, Nandy votes in the following ways:
Social Issues
Nandy consistently votes for equal gay rights, smoking bans, same-sex marriage and promotes equality and human rights.
Foreign Policy
Generally, Nandy has voted in favour of more EU integration and for the right to remain for EU nationals already living in the UK. In 2016, she voted for the UK to remain a member of the EU.
She voted against military action against ISIL (Daesh) in Syria but voted for UK airstrikes in Iraq to support the Iraqi efforts against ISIL and for the establishment of a no-fly zone in Libya.
Welfare and benefits
Nandy voted against reducing housing benefits for social tenants deemed to have excessive bedrooms (the bedroom tax) and for raising welfare benefits in line with prices. The same goes for paying higher benefits over longer periods for the ill and disabled that are unable to work.
Tax and employment
Nandy voted against raising the threshold at which people start paying income tax, against increasing the rate of VAT and higher taxes of alcohol and plane tickets. In favour of increasing the tax rate to income over £150,000, she also votes in favour of a bankers bonus tax. You can see more detail on this issue here.
Education
She’s against greater autonomy for schools, academy schools and university tuition fees.
Environment
Nandy voted for measure to prevent climate change including financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods. She’s for the new high-speed rail infrastructure but against higher taxes on plane tickets. You can find more about this here.
Health
Nandy has always voted for the private patient income cap, which restricts the amount of income an NHS foundation can earn from private charges. She also voted against NHS reforms to give more power to GPs to commission services.
Housing
She’s against phasing out secure tenancies for life and charging a market rent to high earners renting a council home.
What is Lisa Nandy’s Twitter?
You can catch up with everything Nandy is doing and follow her Twitter here,
Read More:
Lisa Nandy Wins Hearts By Smacking Down Interview Questions Left, Right and Centre
Everything You Need To Know About Rebecca Long-Bailey, The Woman Who Could Lead Labour
Jess Phillips MP: Why I Walked Away From The Labour Leadership Race