Show Notes
Chris Kane, Labour MP for Stirling and Strathallan, joins 650 for a conversation about family history, community, public service and the path from local radio to Westminster.
Chris grew up in Stirling in a close-knit family, with his father running the electrical shop founded by his grandfather. He reflects on the stories that have stayed with him: one grandfather’s experience landing on D-Day, and another’s life changing overnight when his own father was killed in a mining accident. Chris’s grandfather had to leave school, become a grocer’s apprentice and help support his family before eventually founding the business that remains in the family today.
Chris also discusses working at a local radio station from the age of 15, watching the legacy of pit closures in his community, becoming involved in politics through his local community council, and progressing through every level of elected local government in Scotland before entering Parliament in 2024.
He makes the case for valuing political experience, shares the nerve-racking reality of election night, and explains why becoming an MP can feel like starting a senior job with no formal training.
650 meets the people behind the politics, with one mission: to interview all 650 MPs.
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Natasha Irons MP joins 650 to discuss the story behind her path to Parliament. The Labour MP for Croydon East reflects on her grandparents arriving from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation, growing up in South London, and how social housing gave her family the stability and dignity to build a future. Natasha talks about the moment she first felt politics could be for someone like her, her 15 years working in television marketing at Channel 4, becoming a local councillor, and why she eventually decided to stand for Parliament. She also shares the reality of balancing Westminster with raising two young children, the intensity of election campaigns, her belief in the importance of local government, and what she hopes to achieve for young people and her community. 650 is a podcast project with one mission: to interview all 650 MPs and create a portrait of the people behind power. www.650podcast.com. Instagram/X: @650podcast TikTok: @650.podcast
Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft on childhood abuse, caravans and bedsits, constant new schools, and the path from all of it to a seat in the House of Commons. Vicky Foxcroft has been the Labour MP for Lewisham North since 2015, but her route to Parliament was anything but conventional.
Jeevun Sandher has been Labour MP for Loughborough since 2024. He is a standout member of the 2024 intake. He wanted to tackle poverty and make the world a better place. His route into that mission was economics. After studying the subject, he went on to work at the Treasury and in Somaliland. He then gave up his successful career as an economist to pursue a lifelong ambition: becoming an MP. He is also, as far as we know, the only MP elected this Parliament to have married another sitting MP, and yes, politics comes up at home. In this episode, Jeevun speaks candidly about the extraordinary demands of political life, the sacrifices involved in being an MP, and the darker side of public office. He recounts how a social media post about putting up flags was seized on by the far right, leading to police involvement and leaving him genuinely worried for his family’s safety. Follow 650 for more people, less politics. Website --> www.650podcast.com Instagram Facebook TikTok X Youtube