What I learned from my first few weeks as a Green MP? Most politicians have no clue how tough things are out there | Hannah Spencer

With this escalating cost of living crisis, so many are really suffering – yet Labour lacks the imagination, boldness and will to do anything about it

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ix weeks ago, I was doing what I’ve always done – working as a plumber in people’s houses. I’d just completed a plastering qualification and was looking forward to putting it to good use. Now, I’m here in parliament, and to call it a culture shock would be an understatement.

It’s easy to see why a lot of MPs don’t understand how hard things in the country are right now. This place is a bubble. And there just aren’t enough of us here who get it; who come from working-class backgrounds, who’ve had ordinary jobs like me.

The fact is, most people are struggling right now, finding it harder and harder to pay the bills each month, to buy the same things we usually buy at the supermarket, to get the kids new shoes every time they have a growth spurt.