The MP for Houghton and Sunderland South always looks immaculate at work, in smart suits and dresses, with a neat bob and makeup. “I do like to buy nice clothes, but I try to find them on Vinted.” She looks momentarily nonplussed when I ask what her favourite luxury is. “When I’m not working, during school holidays, I just like to spend more time with the kids in Sunderland,” she says. “I want people to have good lives, where they can enjoy things like a decent car, going on holiday, a day trip, a meal in a restaurant. We shouldn’t regard it as a luxury… I don’t think a lot of people that live quite nice lives fully understand how hard it can be for families that don’t.”
