Roehampton politics students recently met with a British Member of Parliament for a lively discussion about the current political landscape, the challenges of life at Westminster, and how they can embark on their own journeys into the political world.
Students spent more than an hour with Fleur Anderson, Labour Member of Parliament for Putney, during UR Careers Week. Anderson, who has been an MP for six years and a local resident for 30, spoke about her own efforts to fight for change as well as some of the legislation she has championed. She had led the campaign for a recently enacted ban on plastics in baby wipes due to the environmental damage they cause.
Anderson did not just respond to questions – she posed some for the students. Acknowledging that the government’s messages did not always break through with the public, she asked students how they thought the government could do a better job of communicating with people.
Students afterwards said they appreciated the chance to learn directly about how the political world operates.
"It was very interesting to hear about ‘insider’ workings of Labour and how that perspective differs from what we are shown in media," said Kashmala Yasmin, who is studying BA Politics and International Relations.
Another politics student, Heloise Ribbans, had a similar reaction: “She gave us insight into the process of becoming an MP and telling us what Labour is trying to achieve, which the public doesn’t hear much about in mainstream media.”
Anderson offered the students advice for how to develop their own careers, telling them how they should get involved in causes they care about as early as possible. She said having those kinds of experiences listed on their CVs is what can make the difference when they start to apply for jobs.
Anderson began her career as a campaigner herself in the 1990s. She worked for a charity in war-torn Serbia and Bosnia, and later in Kenya, where she was involved in water and environmental projects. After returning to the UK, she opted to go into local politics in Wandsworth, eventually getting the chance to stand in a general election.
In 2019, Anderson was the only Labour candidate in the country to flip a seat from the Conservatives. In 2024, she widened her margin to retain the seat.
The discussion offered students a powerful insight: politics is not some distant, inaccessible world. Anderson's journey serves as a practical lesson, demonstrating that a political career begins not with who you know, but with hands-on engagement in causes you believe in.
Find out more about our politics programmes here.