AIBU to wonder if a stay-at-home mum could become an MP?

[Questionsssss]

Do you think a degree educated, middle class 30 year old SAHM without any notable work history would ever have a chance at becoming a local councillor or MP? I feel like most MPs have either a local council or highly skilled professional background (law, finance etc). I’ve googled and I can’t find a single MP who has a SAHM background.

Yes. Would need something to say though. Volunteering / community work…

Anyone can have a chance at being an MP. Are you interested?

To be fair a SAHM probably has lots of experience and connection to what is needed in the local community. Depending on their politics I would vote for them.

Have you ever worked? I think becoming an MP would be rather jumping off at the deep end for a first, full-time role, for example. Not saying that applies to you but clarifying what “no notable work history” means might help.

There have been very young candidates. Mairi Black was 20 and in her final year of university when she was elected. I don’t think she lasted 10 years before leaving politics and later spoke about all the stress of the job.

Yes. But I don’t feel like I’d appeal to voters. Where I live, everybody involved in local councils is probably close to retirement age or past it and the local mp candidates are all men aged 45+.
Ultimately I have no real career experience and I’m also not an Angela Rayner / Jess Phillips ‘struggled through being a single mum at a young age’ type either.

I worked for 5 years in publishing before having DC. I have a high earning DH and chose to be a SAHM after that.

There is absolutely no reason why you couldn't if it's something you're interested in.

I would say it might be wise to start on a more local platform - parish councils, local councils, county councils - before moving up to MP. It will give you good experience but also ease you into it. If you went straight from nothing to MP I think it would be too big of a change. Contrary to popular belief, most MPs work bloody hard and it's not a 9-5 job either.

I'd assume that, for a party to put you forward as a candidate, you'd need to work your way in by helping out, leafleting, campaigning etc as a start.

Or stand as an independent candidate, but it obviously costs money.

Then you have to win over the electorate. Which depends a lot on which party and what votes they get in the area.

Then if you were elected, could you actually do the job? You'd need your partner to do all the child care you normally do and/or a nanny, bearing in mind that if you're an MP you need to spend a few days in London each week and do constituency work.

Well, you DO have some career experience. Maybe you would appeal to local voters precisely because you’re NOT male and over 45?

there is no reason you couldn't. But most people put in a chunk of time in their chosen party as an activist before being selected for and then standing for election. You need people to know who you are, what you stand for, and why they'd want to support you first.

Miriam Cates was a science teacher but then a SAHM for a bit.

I personally wouldn’t, unless your manifesto really spoke to me.

I think of they started of as a local Councillor or were very involved in their local community (e.g. school governor/church or mosque regular volunteer/ did volunteering on a local issue) they would stand a good chance...I think a lot of people would trust someone more that was invested in the community rather than just plonked there by a central party.

Give it a try! The fact that you are female and young would give you many bonus points in my book….. unless you want to represent Reform.

I think I personally still would prefer to see some prior professional competence. Maybe other SAHMs might vote for you, it must be a sizeable demographic and probably under-served now.

The things that I’d love to work on would be tax cuts for families with a stay at home parent as I believe there’s massive societal benefits to having a parent at home. I’d like to make it possible for more families to have this option rather than women feeling forced back to work as soon as their maternity leave ends.

Yes, probably reform.

I definitely wouldn’t vote for you then. Sorry.

How would you pay for such a tax cut? Don't say 'tax the rich' without clarifying what you mean by rich and how you would stop international businesses moving their wealth/income outside the UK.

Reform don't pay too much attention to people who want to stand for them so you'll probably be fine.

Oh yes, they're ALL about women's rights.

Since she wants to stand for reform, maybe she agrees with Matt Goodwin on a “reverse child benefit tax” for those without children.

Most political parties are crying out for anyone vaguely sane and diligent to be a councillor, so assuming you're happy to represent the party most likely to win in your area, I don't think becoming a councillor is that hard. You'll need to join the party, get to know people and be involved with the community first, and then you'll need to identify a vacancy in a ward you'd like to run in.

Being selected as an MP is much harder! Also depends hugely on which party you want to represent. But you'd need several years of intense involvement to be considered. Your views sound quite centre-right so assume Conservative? That said, if you're planning to run for Reform, anything seems to go.

Why would you want to invite that amount of stress and hassle into your life and that of your family?!

I would definitely give it a go, however if I’m being honest you wouldn’t immediately get my vote.

Someone being a SAHP has a privileged lifestyle and therefore cannot grasp what life is like for the majority of people.

But saying that, the majority of MPs have had a privileged lifestyle too and therefore no clue of what real life is like for most people and so I wouldn’t let that stop you.

Go for it.